Satyajit Ray on Criterion

by Cláudio Alves

Better late than never, I suppose. This month - May 2nd, to be precise - was the centennial of Bengali director Satyajit Ray. While this piece was supposed to be ready then, many factors contributed to its delay. One of which was how intimidating the legacy of this master of cinema is. In any case, before June dawns on us, let's celebrate the great Satyajit Ray and the outstanding collection the Criterion Channel curated for the occasion. Right now, you can find 17 of the director's features plus a 1984 documentary about his work streaming on the platform. For any cinephile with access to the Criterion Channel, this is a treasure trove that shouldn't be missed or ignored…

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The Tony Awards will be on Paramount+ this year

Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo in "Moulin Rouge: The Musical"

Here's a twist we didn't see coming: the long delayed Tony Awards will be on Paramount+ streaming service this September 26th at 7 PM EST followed by a starry Broadway-celebrating concert on CBS (the usual home of the Tony Awards) at 9 PM EST (both shows are two hours long). That's great timing since the shows begin to return on September 2nd (as previously discussed).

All of the awards but three will be handed out on the Paramount portion of the evening...

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Streaming May 2021: The Mitchells vs. Dancing Girls at the Commune

Yes it's time for another round of streaming roulette where we point out titles that are new(ish) to streaming and just for fun, freeze frame them at totally random places in the scroll bar and whatever comes up we share. Let's start with Netflix...

It's too dangerous out there. We need to stay here and play it safe!"

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Review: "Stowaway" on Netflix

by Matt St Clair

Shamier Anderson is the titular "Stowaway"

One common trope in space movies is daddy issues. Whether it involves trying to find one’s dad in space or a sad father dealing family issues, as this 2019 Vulture article points out, it's a constant in outer-space movies. That's been especially true of this last decade with First Man, Interstellar, Ad Astra, and Netflix’s very recent space venture The Midnight Sky. But a surprise development! The new space movie Stowaway, from writer/director Joe Penna, is the rare film to abandon that trend altogether. The central quartet have struggles but not one of them is a daddy issue. 

Commander Marina Barnett (Toni Collette), botanist David Kim (Daniel Dae Kim), and medical researcher Zoe Levensen (Anna Kendrick) barely touch on their respective home lives as they make their way to Mars for a two-year space mission...

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Review: "Thunder Force" (Netflix)

by Christopher James

Longtime friends McCarthy and Spencer in "Thunder Force."Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are already acting superheroes. Over their long careers, they’ve stolen scenes from the best, been nominated for Oscars (with Spencer winning in 2011), and headlined comedy, drama and horror films. There’s nothing these women can’t do… until now. Thunder Force is their kryptonite. There’s no superpower in their arsenal that can save this comedy, which is completely devoid of laughs. 

Thunder Force takes place in a world much like our own. The main difference: mysterious intergalactic rays touched down in the 80s and gave a few bad apples superpowers. These super individuals, called Miscreants, use their powers to terrorize everyone in sight. If only bad guys are given powers, how are the good guys ever going to prevail?

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