This week’s #SetTheVCR is just the cure for your Halloween hangover.
Monday, November 01
Crocodile Dundee I & II (Anytime / Netflix Canada)
It’s a clash of cultures and a recipe for comedy when a crocodile hunter is plucked from the Australian outback for a visit to the Big Apple.
In this sequel, when Mick Dundee and Sue Charlton tangle with an international drug kingpin, they’re forced to flee to the Outback to hide out.
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Sammy Suggestion: Wastelanders: Hawkeye (Anytime / Podcast Platforms)
Forty years ago, the villains of the world rose up and killed all the heroes. Well, all the heroes that mattered. The sole survivor of the Avengers, Hawkeye (Stephen Lang) is now a sideshow freak, re-living the worst day of his life for paying audiences. He’s surly, broken, and losing his sight, but there’s still that fire in him to be a hero, to avenge his friends. And he’s ready to do what needs to be done: killing every last person responsible for the deaths of those he loved the most.
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Since we’re gonna close this month with Hawkeye over on Disney+ why not open the month with Hawkeye over on various podcast platforms? Old Man Hawkeye (a pretty solid 12 issue limited series from 2018) has been adapted as a fictional podcast. “Forty years ago, the villains of the world rose up and killed all the heroes. Well, all the heroes that mattered. The sole survivor of the Avengers, Hawkeye (Stephen Lang) is now a sideshow freak, re-living the worst day of his life for paying audiences. He’s surly, broken, and losing his sight, but there’s still that fire in him to be a hero, to avenge his friends.” Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye is currently at 5 episodes; halfway through the inaugural 10 episode season. Should be fun to see one possible way the Hawkeye saga concludes right?
Tuesday, November 02
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Anytime / Netflix Canada)
Two Terminators travel from the future to track down Sarah Connor’s young son, John: One machine is programmed to kill him, the other to protect him.
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Sammy Suggestion: Vince Carter: Legacy (Anytime / Crackle)
Vince Carter: Legacy explores the transformation of the NBA’s longest career athlete, Vince Carter, from dunking into history, playing through the pain, and evolving to create a legacy unlike any player before him.
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The NBA’s 75th season continues to press on having revealed the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. 75 of the best and greatest players. (Greatest as a description isn’t totally accurate when you see certain names…) Of course notable lists such as these are entirely defined by players who’ve been left off. A number of people advocated for Vince Carter. (I was not one of those people!) But now that Vince has retired after 22 NBA seasons let’s examine his basketball contributions. Featuring interviews with Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Dominique Wilkins and Kenny Smith. Expect many NBA documentaries as the NBA 75th season unfolds; we got Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett docs coming up both on November 12.
Wednesday, November 03
Deadpool 2 (Anytime / Disney+ Canada)
Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool meets Russell, an angry teenage mutant who lives at an orphanage. When Russell becomes the target of Cable — a genetically enhanced soldier from the future — Deadpool realizes that he’ll need some help saving the boy from such a superior enemy. He soon joins forces with Bedlam, Shatterstar, Domino and other powerful mutants to protect young Russell from Cable and his advanced weaponry.
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Sammy Suggestion: The Harder They Fall (Anytime / Netflix)
Gunning for revenge, outlaw Nat Love saddles up with his gang to take down enemy Rufus Buck, a ruthless crime boss who just got sprung from prison.
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From Shawn Jay Z Carter The Harder They Fall is a mix of Tombstone and Unforgiven. “When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge in this Western.” Westerns are not always love at first sight so it’ll be curious to see if Netflix audiences “fall hard” for this one.
Thursday, November 04
Dead & Beautiful (Anytime / Shudder)
A group of young and spoiled rich kids turn into vampires after a night out, changing the course of their lives and driving a wedge between them all.
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Sammy Suggestion: Space Titans: Musk, Bezos, Branson (Anytime / Discovery+)
The special focuses on Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson’s ambitious plans for space exploration.
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I’ve been consistently grateful for the Billionaire Space Race. It’s been an inspiring pop culture fixture especially the last couple of years as we worked through a pandemic. Look up is as much a goal as it is sound meditative advice. This Discovery+ documentary confirms “space travel isn’t just for NASA astronauts now. How did we get here, and what is next in the incredible race to space?” I hope it also asks what we can expect. Starting from the NASA Apollo missions the original space race injected a plethora of invaluable devices into our lives…the microwave, GPS, LASIK which we now use for eyes was adapted from technology used to dock space vehicles to service satellites, better tires and mattresses, enriched baby food and lots more. What technology will this new space race yield?
Your first look at @discoveryplus’ upcoming documentary #SpaceTitans.https://t.co/u4x5FyTHgB
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) October 18, 2021
Friday, November 05
Love Hard (Anytime / Netflix)
After meeting her perfect match on a dating app, an LA writer learns she’s been catfished when she flies 3,000 miles to surprise him for Christmas.
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Sammy Suggestion: The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek (10 p.m. / History Channel)
The Center Seat: 55 Years Of Star Trek is a multi-episode documentary series that takes viewers on the definitive in-depth journey behind the scenes of one of the greatest landmark franchises of all time: Star Trek.
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Recently comic book characters like Batman and Wonder Woman have celebrated their 80th anniversaries. Any long-term comic book reader knows there are moments of terrible stories; lousy creative decisions and strange paths. Which makes continuity so valuable because it protects the essence of the characters and their universe: the core is truly what endures. There’s lots of stories and pivotal moments worth celebrating…the good stuff is why those characters last decade after decade. Similarly the History Channel is celebrating the 55th year of Star Trek with a new ten-part documentary series. What were the fateful creative decisions that led to 55 years? How do you build something significant from a quickly cancelled 60s TV show that lasted only 79 episodes? All these questions and more will be explored. Everybody is in this. Do I hafta add something like set your phasers to fun?! (Please Note: Canadian viewers can watch this on Crave on November 18. As for American viewers the first four episodes will air on the History Channel each Friday at 10 pm, with the six additional episodes on History Vault, the network’s subscription video service.)
Saturday, November 06
The Story of Late Night (Anytime / HBO Max)
Tracking the history of late-night TV from its inception, featuring stories about hosts such as Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, David Letterman, O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Kimmel, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
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Sammy Suggestion: Attica (9 p.m. / Showtime & Crave)
Survivors, observers, and expert government officials recount the 1971 uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility. The violent five-day standoff between mostly Black and Latino inmates and law enforcement gripped America then, and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
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We got a compelling stew of politics, race, power and punishment during the early 1970s. Attica will detail the infamous five-day prison rebellion where 43 individuals were killed. Ultimately inmates demanded recognition of their humanity, a noble request we continue to ignore with many current inmates. Cue the more things change…
Sunday, November 07
The Circus: Inside the Wildest Political Show on Earth: Season 6 (8 pm / Showtime & Crave)
Come one, come all to THE CIRCUS. This documentary series pulls back the curtain on the Trump era of presidential politics, revealing the stories behind the headlines.
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Sammy Suggestion: Catching Killers (Anytime / Netflix)
The investigators behind infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.
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HBO’s recent true crime docuseries I’ll Be Gone in the Dark focused on the killer’s victims and their families who must grapple with unfathomable trauma. But then there’s Fincher’s Zodiac “innovation” where cops had broken marriages etc. turns out they suffered as well. The trauma wasn’t just limited to the targets. Thing is once you see something it’s hard to unsee it. This Netflix documentary follows “the investigators behind infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.” Old school cops have a fresh detective vibe: they got swagger and mustaches and just look cool. You can see why they easily lend themselves to cop TV shows and movies.
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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.
