#SetTheVCR: May 9-15, 2022
We got a Time Traveler, a new Matrix that like Batman is Unburied, plus 2 movies from the mid-80s and the return of Kids In The Hall. If you feel Old reading this week’s #SetTheVCR that’s covered as well.
Monday, May 9
Candy: Limited Season (Anytime / Hulu & Crave)
Candy Montgomery is a 1980 housewife and mother who did everything right – good husband, two kids, nice house, even the careful planning and execution of transgressions – but when the pressure of conformity builds within her, her actions scream for just a bit of freedom. With deadly results.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE BATMAN: UNBURIED (ANYTIME / SPOTIFY)
A serial killer known as The Harvester terrorizes Gotham City, but Batman is not coming to the rescue. In fact, Bruce Wayne has no memory of being the Caped Crusader at all. Instead, Bruce is a forensic pathologist, performing the autopsy on the latest victim when he’s attacked by the killer himself. As Bruce’s obsession with the Harvester consumes him, Dr. Thomas Wayne, head of Gotham City Hospital, orders his son to take medical leave and seek treatment from an unusual psychologist, Dr. Hunter. With Batman missing in action, Detective Barbara Gordon is left with no other choice but to seek help from Gotham’s second smartest detective: The Riddler.
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About a year ago Spotify and DC Comics inked a podcasting deal to produce an audio DC Universe. Marvel has found success with their own podcast deal with Pandora and SiriusXM; so the storied rivalry between The Big 2 has spilled onto audio turf. Following the deal in early 2021 Jim Lee vaguely mumbled the publisher was working on nine Spotify shows featuring Catwoman, Wonder Woman, the Riddler, Batgirl, Superman and Lois Lane. And of course: Batman. Well on May 3rd the first 2 episodes of DC’s Batman Unburied debuted exclusively on Spotify and promptly unseated The Joe Rogan Experience at the top of the steamer’s podcast charts. Batman is bigger than Joe Rogan?? The David S. Goyer Bat-saga opens with Bruce Wayne (voiced by Winston Duke) a forensic pathologist who’s investigating a Gotham serial killer known as the Harvester. Yup: a new Bat-villain. Goyer has admitted he is working on two other Spotify-DC podcasts without confirming the characters or the stories. It’s fascinating we’ve gone full circle with Superman and Batman releasing old timey serials on the radio and theatrically all before World War II concluded. Now decades later these sophisticated audio stories have tapped into the characters’ literal roots…hence the title: Batman Unburied.
Tuesday, May 10
Robot Chicken: Season 11 Part B (Anytime / HBO Max)
Rapid-fire channel flips propel viewers through Robot Chicken’s stop-motion animation twisted takes on pop culture.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS (ANYTIME / HBO Max)
Return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more.
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This is not a simulation; a fourth Matrix movie was indeed released. Though based on the box office receipts…it was a bomb so most people did not see it. Or perhaps did not want to see it. Well today it’s on HBO Max. So what are you gonna do? “This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends; you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Which pill are you taking today?
Wednesday, May 11
Marvel Studios: Assembled – The Making of Moon Knight (Anytime / Disney+)
Assembled is a comprehensive documentary series streaming on Disney+ that chronicles the creation of Marvel Studios’ thrilling new shows and theatrical releases. Join Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke as they reveal how Moon Knight was brought to life.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: YO! MTV RAPS (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)
Yo! MTV Raps will be a comprehensive deep dive into the current state of hip hop, with hosted segments from renowned battle rapper Conceited and celebrated deejay DJ Diamond Kuts, live performances, cyphers and lifestyle content.
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Last July Paramount+ brought back Behind The Music. Today they’re offering viewers some hip hop nostalgia by resurrecting Yo! MTV Raps. (A name that doesn’t make any sense since it’s not on MTV. Yo, I digress…). 50 of the best archival episodes of the original series (which ran from August 6, 1988 to August 17, 1995) have been added to Paramount+ as an appetizer for the main course. New shows will begin airing on the streamer on May 24th. The upcoming guests will be: Freddie Gibbs, IDK, JID, Latto, Saba, Shenseea, Tee Grizzley and Trina. I’m sharing this because while it’s not entirely connected we’re currently celebrating Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary. And that’s the thing with getting older; it’s not just looking back but also looking ahead. What kinds of rap shows do we want 50 years from now?
Thursday, May 12
Firestarter – 1984 (Anytime / Peacock)
A couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telepathic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic get the classic Prodigy song stuck in their head as they’re on the run from The Shop .
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BACK TO SCHOOL (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)
Millionaire Thornton Melon’s (Rodney Dangerfield!!) son is a college misfit, so Thornton lends some fatherly support…by enrolling as a fellow freshman! Who cares if he never finished high school? Thornton’s pockets are deep enough to buy his way in!
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You know so many people in this 86 comedy classic. We got Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Ned Beatty (Superman II), Terry Farrell (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager), William Zabka (Cobra Kai) and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. shows up as himself as did Danny Elfman via his rock band Oingo Boingo (who perform in the dorm room scene.). Plus Rodney Dangerfield stars in a movie Harold Ramis co-wrote. Back to School is an overlooked classic. So it’s time to go back to…Back to School and give this movie some respect!
Friday, May 13
The Matrix: Resurrections (Anytime / Crave)
Return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE LINCOLN LAWYER: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
Mickey Haller, an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles.
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You may recall a 2011 film of the same name, starring Matthew McConaughey. That movie was an adaptation of the 2005 novel The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. This Netflix series created by TV stalwart David E. Kelley is an adaptation of the second book in The Lincoln Lawyer series, The Brass Verdict. (I’ve never read any Michael Connelly. Is he any good?) It “drives me” crazy I can’t remember why dude works out of his car and not like an office; though that may not be for long: “When his former law partner is killed, Mickey Haller is left to take over the firm, including a high-profile murder trial.” I didn’t expect him to deal with a murder case; figured with him driving around LA for 10 episodes he’d be…an ambulance chaser. #RimShot! I’ll cease and desist these bad puns; I’m sure they’re driving you up the wall!
Saturday, May 14
Old (Anytime / HBO Max)
M Night’s latest is shockingly not based in Pennsylvania: A vacationing family discovers that the secluded beach where they’re relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE KIDS IN THE HALL: SEASON 6 (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO)
First premiering in 1989, the original Emmy-nominated The Kids in the Hall was an alternative comedy sensation that developed a die-hard fanbase while influencing countless comedians and performers.
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The iconic Canadian comedy troupe – Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson – is back with a new season of their groundbreaking sketch series. That’s it…that’s the hook! The Kids are back. (And bonus! Joining the revival series on Prime Video The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, a two-part documentary which recently screened at the Hot Docs Festival in May will launch on May 20. Something for us to watch and laugh and enjoy while we wait for An Afternoon with SCTV Martin Scorsese’s Netflix special “aboot” that other classic Canadian comedy troupe.)
Sunday, May 15
Comedy Central Announces The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Globe – Hungary for Democracy (Anytime / Crave)
The half-hour comedy special, which premiered on Comedy Central on April 21 has been added to Crave. It documents Jordan Klepper’s journey from CPAC to Hungary to find out why the Hungarian right-wing government has become American conservatives’ latest obsession.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE: SEASON 1 (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)
The Time Traveler’s Wife tells the story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem…time travel.
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The latest adaption of Audrey Niffenegger’s debut novel was adapted by 2 of our sci-fi friends: all 6 episodes were written by Steven Moffat (from Doctor Who) and all 6 episodes were directed by David Nutter (from X-Files). It’s interesting to note HBO has indicated this is a Season 1…not a limited series. (Niffenegger has been working on a sequel novel; which hasn’t been released.) Anyways if you haven’t seen the 2009 movie or read the 2003 novel; this isn’t sci-fi so much as it is about the heart: Henry, is a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and Clare, his wife, must cope with his frequent absences. It’s a fractured story because it’s not a linear romance. Just like Dr. Samuel Beckett Henry involuntarily jumps around his own timeline leaping from moment to moment “hoping each time that his next leap, will be the leap home…”
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
