The Movie and TV Thread

I plowed through 30 episodes of Foundation since I got Apple TV months ago.  I resisted getting another streaming service for pay for years but gave in to a free three months when I got a new iMac and decided I liked the program and now pay for the service.

It's one of Apple's most expensive and popular series and apparently they waited until the last episode last month to decide if there would be a Season 4 but announced it would continue.  Apparently the cost and time to produce are really high.  It won't be until 2027 until Season 4 comes out.

It is indeed a stunning production with great special effects and sets and you can tell it's big budget.  It's also really well acted with a huge cast of characters.

To me it's a very confusing story and I got lost several times but was entertained nonetheless.  It's based on the writings of popular science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (a genre I generally don't read).  It focuses on a galaxy of thousands of planets lead by one planet that is run by three emperors that are actually clones of each other at different ages and from a centuries old line of clones.  

It has all the fight scenes, space scenes and special effects that people of this genre love.  I enjoyed it even if it took a lot concentration.

https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/foundation-apple-tv-tv-review-2021#Google_vignette

Sovereign is a fictionalize movie about a real life incident in Memphis, TN in 2010 when a father and son killed two police officers and how that came to be.  I'd never heard of it but apparently there is a fringe anti-government sector that believes the laws don't apply to them because they haven't consented or something like that.  

I think it's a very well done movie and well acted.  A solid B.  

https://movieweb.com/nick-offerman-sovereign-true-story-explained/

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sovereign-nick-offerman-movie-review-2025#Google_vignette

High Tide is from indie queer cinema production company Strand Releasing.  It's a well done story about an undocumented Brazilian in Provincetown where is ex dumped him on a tourist visa that's about to expire.  He doesn't want to go back to Brazil to his small homophobic town.  His life begins to spiral downward and how he navigates an uncertain future meeting makes for a good story line.  The lead actor is very good.

I would give it a solid B+. It enjoys a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of 25 reviews.  

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/high-tide-film-review

The Naken Gun continues the Naked Gun franchise of the late 80's and early 90s and follows the same line of humor.

It's good for what it is, entertainment with dump humor thrown all throughout.  It stars Liam Neeson (who plays the son of the original Naked Gun character in the same role) and Pamela Anderson.  It works, especially if you're a fan of the original movies.

Late Shift looks like a good movie but isn't available for streaming or DVD in the US yet.  I see it Switzerland's entry for the best International Film in the Academy Awards.  I'll keep an eye out for it.

Slow Horses is a British Apple TV series that I picked up in the 5th Season as I've only had Apple a short while.  I may or may not watch the other seasons.  The 5th season is six episodes but I liked it a lot.  It has a great cast of characters and while I don't know the back story they ultimately are good at what they do.  It was not predictable and suspenseful.

Napoleon:  The Director's Cut is an over three hour version of the theatric release of Napoleon on AppleTV+.  I didn't see the original and watched this over a couple of sittings and enjoyed it.  It's obviously big budget and had some huge battle scenes, as well as focusing on the relationship between him and Josephine.

The Baltimorons is an independent comedy-drama about a man who has a dental emergency on Christmas Eve and the days he has with the dentist who was on call that day.  

I found it really good with relatable characters with a lot of heart.  

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-baltimorons-movie-review-2025#Google_vignette

Wayward is a series on Netflix with a really good cast.  It focuses on a boarding school where parents send their troubled teens and the matriarch played by the great Toni Collette helps them heal the trauma that leads to their troubled behavior.  

But something isn't right.  The first episodes takes you on a journey lead by a transgendered man, with a pregnant wife (who is a graduate of the school) who takes a job in law enforcement in the town where the school is and he suspects something shady going on.  

The writer producer and actor Mae Martin is non-binary in real life and is not afraid to show off their top surgery, but otherwise pretty soft looking (even mentioned in the show "still no facial hair, I'll have to up the dose - or something like that) and not too convincing in this role and the acting not that strong.  

The acting by the teens in the movie is top notch, and the series sets itself in the first several episodes very well and keeps your attention but then starts to fall flat.  There are no plans currently for a 2nd Season and I may or may not watch it if it's renewed.  The ending sets you with some open ends that can be an entry to a new series, but also it ended and you can leave it at that.  It was in the top 10 of Netflix shows for a while so I'm sure they are weighing in on renewal.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wayward-tv-review-2025

Twinless is follows two men, one gay and one straight, that meet in a support group for people who have lost their twin.  They become awkward but good friends as one is gay and the other is straight.   It's billed as a comedy but is pretty melancholic at times.  The acting is really top notch and the script is great.  There are some twists and turns that are really surprising.  

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/twinless-dylan-o-brien-movie-review-2025#Google_vignette

The History of Sound centers around two lovers in 1920 who set out to capture and record folk music.  This impacts the protagonists life and he comes to realize many years later that this was the happiest time of his life.  

It stars Indie A-listers Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor.  

The review states what I was thinking was that they were too old to play the young men.  Both actors look older than their real ages, 29 and 35, and certainly don't look like young men college age.  

That said, the story and the music is very well done.  The longing of both characters is palpable.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-history-of-sound-josh-oconnor-paul-mescal-film-review-2025