Year: 2022

Five Days at Memorial—No Emergency Exit

Written by Diana Paul on September 18, 2022. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on Five Days at Memorial—No Emergency Exit

Five Days at Memorial is an Apple TV+ eight-episode miniseries that premiered on August 22 of this year. Based on the multiple-award winning 2013 book by journalist Sheri Fink, this series revisits the tragic and hellish events that occurred at Memorial Medical Center over five days: August 28 – September 1, 2005—during Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, Louisiana. As floodwaters begin threatening the lower hospital floors at Memorial Medical, electricity is cut off and backup generators fail, temperatures soar to over 100 degrees and food...

The Outfit (2022)—Suitable Suspense

Written by Diana Paul on September 12, 2022. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on The Outfit (2022)—Suitable Suspense

The Outfit’s director and co-writer Graham Moore ( whose screenplay for “The Imitation Game” won an Oscar,) has created a slow-burn thriller fitting of Masterpiece Theater. In early 1950s Chicago, only a few years after the end of the Second World War, proud sixty-something British Savile Row tailor Leonard Burling (the renowned stage actor Mark Rylance), meticulously cuts and sews bespoke suits primarily for organized crime. The majority of his patrons who buy his rarified suits now ask him to hide their spoils and be a communication hub for their nefarious schemes. ...

The Discovery of Witches—An Entertaining Coven

Written by Diana Paul on September 6, 2022. Posted in Television reviews. No Comments on The Discovery of Witches—An Entertaining Coven

In this Sundance three-season series, we see a time-travel saga of witches and magic that is part Harry Potter and part Lord of the Rings. A tale of intense rivalry between different magical beings unfolds: Witches, vampires, and demons are pitted against each other not only to uncover the sacred magical primer, but also to find the genetic code by which powerful witches have dominated the force field of magic. The dangers cross several millennia, from the 1590s when witches are being hunted and religious extremists commit unspeakable crimes to the present day...

“Infinite Storm”—In the Eye of

Written by Diana Paul on August 29, 2022. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Infinite Storm”—In the Eye of

Based on a true story, Infinite Storm recreates the 2010 rescue from Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. A blizzard is about to be unleashed, and Pam Bales (Naomi Watts) knows that this will be a challenging climb. But the viewer does not know her motivation for undertaking what seems like an unnecessary risk in the approaching storm. Nonetheless, she packs her backpack and emergency supplies and begins the climb, only midway finding tracks that indicate someone wearing sneakers is hiking in the vicinity. We see unimaginable physical exertion, and near-death heroics to continue the trek...

Queen—A Regal Redemption

Written by Diana Paul on August 24, 2022. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 3 Comments on Queen—A Regal Redemption

In this French/Polish miniseries of four episodes, Queen is a highly unexpected feel-good story of a sought-after Parisian bespoke tailor who, in the evenings, is a celebrated drag queen known as “Loretta”. Long absent from his wife and daughter’s lives back in the small Polish village of his childhood, Silvestre Bork (Andrzej Seweryn), now living in Paris, is reluctantly preparing for retirement and the pleasure of being himself with his coterie of friends. He fits perfectly with a sophisticated life on the French Riviera. Silvestre’s closest friend, Corentin (Kova Réa),...

“Thirteen Lives”—An Unlucky Number?

Written by Diana Paul on August 18, 2022. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on “Thirteen Lives”—An Unlucky Number?

Thirteen Lives (directed by Ron Howard) retells the heart-pounding rescue mission from June 23, 2018. A dozen Thai soccer players, aged 11 to 16, and their coach were trapped in a flooded, terrifyingly claustrophobic cave system during an unexpected monsoon rainstorm in northern Thailand. A massive international rescue effort of more than 10,000 people are deployed to save the twelve soccer players and their coach. Will rescuers be able to deliver them to safety without a loss of life? Potential disaster lurks around every twist in the labyrinthine...