Ripley (2024)

The Steven Zaillian miniseries adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley is stunning. Shot in crisp black and white, it looks unlike anything else Netflix has ever made. Cinematography Robert Elswit deserves his Emmy for this. He has an Oscar for There Will Be Blood, and was nominated for another black-and-white project Good Night, and Good Luck. Zaillian also won an Emmy for directing. He does an incredible job at building suspense. The interesting shots and the mise-en-scene say so much without words. And the production design (and location scouting) is phenomenal. From episode 1 in 1960s New York to Roma and Atrani and Napoli and Palermo and Venezia, we are completely transported.  Those palazzi are to die for. The old American Express travel offices take you to a past when international travel was limited to the wealthy--who knew all the random services they used to offer!

I like the Anthony Minghella adaptation, but this is arguably better, perhaps with the lone exception of Dickie and Marge. I don't think Johnny Flynn nor Dakota Fanning are very compelling. They don't ooze the pretty boy allure of Jude Law. Andrew Scott makes the Ripley character his own. His Italian is very passable. I watched the first 6 episodes without subtitles, not realizing that there should've been subtitles. I thought I was supposed to be in Ripley's head not understanding the language, but as his Italian got a lot better, the subtitles still weren't appearing. I actually understood probably 75% of the Italian anyways; I at least got the gist of it. It wasn't until episode 6, which is almost entirely in Italian, that started to get more complex for my skill level. The real standout for me is Maurizio Lombardi, who plays Inspector Ravini. His Italian-accented English is so good. And his Italian is spoken so clearly, I could follow everything he was saying.

I think this version sort of de-emphasizes the themes of homosexuality and class and race. And I don't mind that. This is just a totally different standalone adaptation. It's slow, dragging out for 8 episodes whereas the movie runs just over 2 hours. It luxuriates in its slowness, building suspense and allowing all the consequences to unfold. It's funny at times, though subtle. And though it went over my head a little at first, I liked the Caravaggio analogy. His signature chiaroscuro is a clear inspiration for the look of the show. 

Beef (2023)

I admittedly came very late to Beef. Everyone has seen it already but I've at least gotten to it before the strike-delayed Emmys. And it's a super quick watch, a ten-episode miniseries at about 30 minutes each. It's an easily digestible format you could get through in a day. It's a compact beginning-middle-end. 

Beef is both dark comedy and thrilling drama. It strikes a balance. Surprisingly, Ali Wong, who I really only know as a stand up comic nails the dramatic side of the role too. Steven Yeun (who sings adequately and plays guitar at a Korean church) plays her rival in a road rage revenge that spirals out of control. The escalations are so extreme and petty you can't help but laugh or gasp in shocked silence. They are two troubled souls entwined. In another life, or maybe simply by talking to each other, they could be kindred spirits. But they enrage each other so much, they end up sabotaging themselves every time they come close to achieving success or happiness. Broken people hurt people and need people.

The supporting cast is fantastic too. While the show features a plethora of Asian American characters, the show isn't really about being Asian. It even features culturally specific notes while not focusing on them as plot point, with the one exception of the Korean church. OK maybe also about Asians being bad at driving. But it's kind of refreshing to see Asians being temperamental, not just passive. Western therapy doesn't work on Eastern minds lol

Dark (2017-20)

The first season of the German-language series Dark was unlike anything else on TV. It was high-concept sci-fi show, a time travel drama.  And in the beginning it was manageable to follow.  I quite liked season 1--I actually watched 8 episodes straight to catch up to Philip and Nancy and David in a lazy day. But come season 2 and 3, when they started to introduce alternate worlds, it was nearly impossible to comprehend. And we watched it a lot more slowly, so we forgot things. Not to mention the huge cast of actors playing the characters at several ages that were easy to forget. I've never known a show so complicated to require a dynamic family tree, courtesy of Netflix. And there were many details that were found on the tree that I never quite caught in the show.Whoever was writing this show had an incredible grasp on the characters, recurring themes, objects, places, times and all that to keep it straight. Every episode ended on a crazy cliff hanger. The show legitimately made me go WTF constantly. They do know how to keep you hooked even when you can't make sense of it. After much reading, I think the ending is pretty satisfying but I wouldn't have got it all on my own.

Pretend It's a City (2021)

Fran Lebowitz is my spirit animal. She is the quintessential New Yorker. I know her humor isn't for everyone but I could listen to her complain all day. She's incisive and she's usually right. And I love how much Martin Scorsese adores her too. This is his second documentary on Fran. He laughs at her quips along with the us. This works as a series, as we see recurring footage that works in multiple contexts.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

The Queen's Gambit is a very watchable limited series that manages to make chess engaging. That's no small feat. This will be the cause of a whole new generation of chess fans. Funnily enough, it succeeds by not explaining any of the chess whatsoever. That way, novices who don't know the first thing about chess aren't left out. But people that do understand some chess don't have anything to follow either. The drama is not in the tactics of chess. They discuss strategy without explaining the strategy. She moves a piece but it doesn't mean anything to us. She just looks good doing it. I do feel like there was a missed opportunity to contextualize the movie more in the Cold War. The final episode sets up Chekov's gun that never goes off; Borgov makes two unexpected moves in the game, potentially a signal that he wants to defect, as the State Department official had warned Beth to be on the lookout for, but they never play that out.

Anya Taylor-Joy is magnetic. The whole show does have an amazing look. The Sixties set pieces and costumes are luscious. Beth criss-crosses the globe like she's in a spy movie (but again the Cold War spies don't really factor in). I love the visual of the imaginary chess pieces on the ceiling. The camera sometimes sits right behind the upside-down piece so you get something like an over-the-shoulder shot where you see a fraction of the rook or knight in the foreground--it's an interesting choice.

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (2018-20)

Gone too soon. Netflix has had a bad week, first pushing the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender to walk away and now canceling Hasan Minhaj just as he is getting into the groove of things. Despite the very expensive looking set, he was never quite as polished as his fellow Daily Show alumni Colbert, Oliver or Bee. But he is young, charming and Asian American. He was hitting the target demographic with culturally specific content, and frankly cooler references than you're going to find on Last Week Tonight. He actually shined brightest in his off-the-cuff Deep Cuts web exclusives. He is a natural comedian interacting with an audience that doesn't need the culturally specific jokes explained to him. He never did quite figure out what to do with his hands. Hopefully this now frees him to do something new.

Unorthodox (2020)

Unorthodox is an extraordinary Yiddish-language drama about a young Hasidic woman from the very insular Satnam ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Consigned to an unhappy marriage and a community that does not support her as an individual, she escapes to Germany where her exiled mother lives.  German Nazis, of course, are the raison d'etre of the Satnam community, arising as a reaction to the Holocaust, turning inward to find solace in Judaism and repopulate the Jewish race. The heroine Esty learns to find her solace in secular music (and in the fitting ending, Jewish music). That tension between cosmopolitan, diverse, and secular modern Berlin and her former life in Williamsburg is a driving force. It's a well researched look at a community that is loathe to air its dirty laundry.

The Eddy (2020)

I feel like I was a little deceived. I thought that Damien Chazelle was doing the whole series but it turns out that he only directed the first two episodes. But the marketing worked; his name drew me to this Parisian jazz drama. I didn't actually care much for the drama. But I love the jazz. I wish there was more music and less plot because the plot is messy. The characters' motivations are often fuzzy. They make irrational choices and most of them are pretty annoying. It was ultimately worth watching for the music and the great jazz memorial scene.

Salt Fat Acid Heat (2018)

Samin Nosrat's Netflix documentary based on her book of the same name is revelatory. It is part cooking show, part travel documentary. She boils down good cooking to four basic elements, each of which she explores in four different different episodes in four different locales. Nosrat is a student of the world. She shows off her Italian and Spanish skills. And she impresses with her knowledge of different food cultures. Nosrat is a character. She gets so excited about food, it is deeply moving to watch her eyes light up with joy and to see her eyes tear up at the beauty. Her laugh is infectious. And her food looks delicious. She is the fun, funny, down-to-Earth culinary-expert friend that everyone wants to have.

Private Life (2018)

Tamara Jenkins's Private Life is a touching, funny movie that is all too rare. It's about a middle-aged couple (a writer and a theater director) living in the Village desperately trying to have a child, by any means possible. Not only is the writing excellent and realistic, but the acting from Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn have never been better.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-9)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was always a fun show to have on. The concept was so bizarre, the characters so out there and so very extreme, and the execution always very happy-go-lucky. Lilian was the authentic New Yorker worried about gentrification in her neighborhood. Tituss was the aspiring actor with dreams of The Lion King on Broadway. Jacqueline was the rich socialite. And Kimmy, the new arrival trying to strike out on her own in the big city. Together they represented a cross section of this wacko town, obviously to a caricatured degree, but there's a degree of truth in caricature. That's why it's funny.

Lazzaro Felice (2018)

This Italian magical realist movie is like something out of a dream. It moves cautiously, slowly, ethereally. The movie is so mysterious, you never quite know what to make of it. You have to sort of just enjoy the ride. I'll give you a hint--Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. That's the second half of the movie. We are transported (or returned) to a contemporary impoverished city, and the contrast to the first half is stark. It's still slow, and it's more challenging. There is a feeling of melancholy that pervades the whole movie; but even through disappointment Lazzaro is happy as per the title. It's a really interesting movie, but I admit I don't know what to make of it. I'm not sure what the ultimate message is. But it has stuck with me.

House of Cards (2013-8)

It's the show that put Netflix on the map. And I think that's why they kept it around for so long; they just couldn't bear to see their firstborn go. But since then, Netflix has introduced a full slate of original programming. Some of it is bad, some of it is good, and some of it is excellent. House of Cards was all those things. Season 1 was excellent. House of Cards dove deep into the most obscure clauses of the Constitution to make interesting drama. But after a certain point, it got so ridiculous and aimless that it was hard to care anymore. Each season introduced new characters that I could neither keep straight nor invest in. I think it's when Frank finally became President that it really became unredeemable. That would have been a fine place to stop; he achieved the pinnacle and the show could end. But they kept going and in the subsequent seasons, there's only one moment that stood out for me. It was the scene at the Democratic Convention with the rousing music from the titles. Even good acting can't save this one. And when they got rid of Kevin Spacey, they another perfectly good opportunity to call it quits. But they kept going and I didn't follow any of the final season. One thing worth noting is House of Cards brought much needed jobs to Baltimore and more shows taking place in the Beltway should consider filming in Charm City.

Roma (2018)

Roma is beautiful. Mexico is beautiful. Life is beautiful. The gorgeous black and white cinematography (done by Alfonso Cuaron himself while Chivo was busy) evokes memory. Cuaron lovingly paints a picture of the Mexico City of his childhood, growing up in a middle class neighborhood in the 1970s, raised by his housekeeper. It is a very personal project, Cuaron supposedly drawing on memories from his childhood, how many of them actually happened I don't know. But such is memory, flowing back in a rush like a wave, or like buckets of water washing a stone driveway. The story starts very close, honing in on a family. But eventually he zooms out, to reveal political context in a changing Mexico affected by the Cold War (ironic that Cold War came out this year too). It is done so seamlessly and effectively really grounding the story in a particular time. Ultimately this movie is a love letter to the housekeeper that raised him. Housekeepers are not the supporting cast in this movie. No, Cleo is the heart of this movie, and the glue keeping this family together. Some of the most beautiful shots to highlight: inside the theater and the beach.

Shirkers (2018)

Shirkers is a very personal documentary. Sandi Tan is an honest and open storyteller. The strange music coupled with the grainy film images without sound make for a mesmerizing and mysterious tone. Sandi, Jasmine and Sophie are actually really funny, and as students of the cinema there are abundant references to film history. Today, they have separated but they all work in film in one way or another. Tan and her two friends and her teacher set out to make an indie road movie in 1990s Singapore, a first for the island whose film industry has now further developed but was nascent at the time. Shirkers, the movie that could-have-been, is a poetic take on Catcher in the Rye (and dare I say there is a tinge of Donnie Darko too). Now that she has the footage, she theoretically could start post-production and fulfill her dream, but instead with this documentary, she ended up with a more interesting and meditative movie on dreams, power, time and the movies.

Ellen Degeneres: Relatable (2018)

Ellen is back doing stand-up after fifteen years. The premise of her special is that after becoming so successful, she is still a relatable person. The most relatable thing she says is her explanation for returning to stand-up. She obviously doesn't need the money. It is simply that she loves it and misses it. You can see how much fun she's having. Stylistically, her set reminded me of Seinfeld, with simple observations made funny. She pauses quite a bit with good comedic timing. She's not particularly cutting edge, but she's silly and funny as always.

Springsteen on Broadway (2018)

No one else could do what Bruce Springsteen has achieved in his Broadway show. Forget the jukebox musicals, this is storytelling at its finest. The show is ostensibly an adaptation of his memoir but the truth is that Bruce has been building up to this show for his entire career. The consummate lyricist, yes, but always a storyteller. He sings acoustic versions of his hit songs with piano or guitar/harmonica as well as some of his lesser known ones, all introduced by a story, told rhythmically, somberly and with tons of heart. He mines his childhood, adolescence, early career and success for emotional stories that really hit home. There are lots of highlights but I think My Hometown is the most poignant and moving, and the simple piano introduction really works for me.

And Bruce is not just a musician.  In this show, he is truly an actor. Telling these stories, he is purely acting, memorizing lines, delivering them in a particular style, with dramatic timing and emotion. Bruce has always spanned different genres, but I admit all the songs sounds very similar with just an acoustic guitar. Because of this, you can really hone in on the lyrics. They are intricate stories, told with some high level vocabulary without basic repetition. I want to draw a brief comparison to Bob Dylan. It's an obvious comparison, but I recently saw Girl from the North Country, the new play adapted from Dylan's music.  It is a stage production that gives Dylan's songs new context and re-imagined melodies. It is a braver task to reinvent your own music, especially because the stories are so personal for Bruce. This is an intimate experience that must be seen. I'm very glad Netflix could share this with everyone that couldn't come by a ticket to the show in person. This will surely be Bruce's EGOT (a special Tony, yes, and an Emmy for the Netflix adaptation, and probably a Grammy too for the recording).

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coen Brothers' latest movie is a Western anthology. Comprised of six stories of varying length and depth. They are all humorous in one way or another. Some end happily, some don't. But all are entertaining. The stories have little to do with each other, sharing only the wild west theme. There is quite a decent amount of singing too--you never quite know what to expect. I must admit I did not understand the last story, but after reading more about it online, I realized juts how creepily dark and brilliant it is. Even if you're not into Westerns, it is worthwhile viewing.

Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia (2018)

Trevor Noah is very good. For his latest comedy special, he takes us to his childhood. Noah grew up in South Africa.. A biracial man, Noah's very existence was illegal under the Apartheid regime. He manages to be poignant and funny. My favorite thing about Trevor Noah has always been his voices. They're not necessarily impressions, but he does a real good French accent. And his white man voice gets me every time.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

This is a landmark moment for Netflix. They made a good non-prestige movie. Thus far, Netflix had mostly been operating on a quantity over quality basis. That ends with this rom-com, a genre that's hard to do well and fresh. It's not perfect, but it's refreshing. Let's start with the elephant in the room...why is this Korean girl named Lara-Jean? There is some Asian specificity to her story, but she's not that Asian, nor are any of her crushes. The plot is like a Shakespearean comedy. There are a couple minor things, I didn't like. The music is tacky and the sound mixing is a little quiet on the soundtrack. The cinematography is a little jarring. And...Josh's character doesn't really serve his purpose. Every decision Lara-Jean makes is motivated by her relationship with her sister. The movie could be about Josh alone, forget Peter. But he ends up just being her confidante, but Lucas is already her confidante. Josh's story line doesn't really get properly played out. Maybe it does in the book. Lana Condor, though, is delightful. Keep an eye out for her.