What’s up, doc??? Stax of TV recommendations this week which happen to be all documentaries. You’ll be smarter after watching this week’s #SetTheVCR recommendations.
Monday, May 20
Spider-Man: No Way Home (The Extended Version) (Anytime / Netflix-Canada)
Spider-Man: No Way Home – the Extended Version (subtitled The More Fun Stuff Version) with an extra 11 minutes of scenes is now streaming.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: STAX: SOULSVILLE, U.S.A. (ANYTIME / HBO MAX & CRAVE)
STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A. tells the story of an underdog record label comprised of Black and white collaborators who ushered in the groundbreaking, industry-altering soul music of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, The Staple Singers, Sam & Dave and many others that defined a generation.
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Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Sam & Dave, and many more. That’s not Motown but that’s still something special. (Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay, Soul Man, Green Onions, and the Theme from Shaft. This is that story; we’re talking about Stax Records. If you dig the soul music visit Spotify where HBO has a Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. Official Playlist featuring Otis Redding, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and Aretha Franklin. Programming Note: Debuts tonight at 9:00-10:00 p.m. on HBO with two episodes airing back-to-back, followed by the final two episodes airing back-to-back on Tuesday, May 21 at the same time. All four episodes of the series will be available to stream on HBO Max and Crave today.
Tuesday, May 21
Dune: Part Two (Anytime / HBO Max & Crave)
Explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LOLLA: THE STORY OF LOLLAPALOOZA (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)
In the summer of 1991, the Lollapalooza music festival was born. What started as a farewell tour for the band Jane’s Addiction rose from the underground to launch a cultural movement and change music forever.
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It’s time we start to properly acknowledge the ’90s; culturally it’s been a powerful decade. Now, is all this true? “Launched by founder Perry Farrell in 1991 as a touring festival, Lollapalooza remains an innovator in festival culture over 30 years later. Lollapalooza was the first festival to bring together artists from a wide range of musical genres on one bill, it was also the first to travel, the first to expand to multiple days, the first to introduce a second stage, the first to blend art and activism, the first to offset its carbon emissions, the first to put electronic music artists on the main stage, the first to create family friendly programming, the first to make its home in an urban city center and the first to expand internationally.” If so, that’s amazing. As much as we should recognize the ’90s we gotta sit back and appreciate Perry Farrell: super weird guy but his cultural contributions have been amazing.
Wednesday, May 22
The Iron Claw (Anytime / HBO Max & Prime Video-Canada)
This is the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MARVEL STUDIOS’ ASSEMBLED: THE MAKING OF X-MEN ’97 (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)
Assembled recalls the birth of X-Men: The Animated Series and its revival thirty years later as X-Men ’97.
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Typically I don’t bother watching Marvel Studios’ Assembled episodes, there’s some disappointment with a number of the MCU TV shows and I just want to move on. However, I’ll check out The Making of X-Men ‘97. I’m curious how they pulled this off; I despise nostalgia so it’s tricky to bring something back and do it well. As Run-D.M.C. can confirm It’s Tricky. For more X-Men 97 fun Lenore Zann who voices Rogue visited My Summer Lair to chat about the coming back to the cartoon all these years later. Pressure is on with Bruce Timm going back to Batman on August 1st with Batman: Caped Crusader on Prime Video. Can they recapture the magic of the original animated series? That’s what X-Men ‘97 successfully did and more. But how? We watch tonight to find out how.
Thursday, May 23
Evil: Final Season (Anytime / Paramount+)
A psychologist joins a priest-in-training and a contractor as they investigate unexplained mysteries.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: WILLIAM SHATNER: YOU CAN CALL ME BILL (ANYTIME / HOOPLA)
Directed by the visionary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe (78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene, Memory: The Origins of Alien), William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is an intimate exploration of the life and career of William Shatner. From his unforgettable portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek to his diverse accomplishments of a 70+ year career across film, television, and the arts, the documentary captures the essence of Shatner’s journey and his extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry.
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Star Trek is closing in on 60 years and we’ve never truly recovered from meeting Captain Kirk and his weird crew in 1966. A five year mission has turned into decades of mapping the stars and seeking delight in this strange and vast universe. “In the 58 years since, the Star Trek galaxy has logged 900 television episodes and 13 feature films, amounting to 668 hours — nearly 28 days — of content to date.” This Legion M documentary William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill isn’t a documentary it’s a memorial. It gives you the opportunity to say thank you for all the adventures. To toast the fun. And remember the laughs. Airplane II: The Sequel is magic. For more fun, you can enjoy a MSL interview with the documentary’s director Alexandre O. Philippe.
Friday, May 24
Atlas (Anytime / Netflix)
A brilliant but misanthropic data analyst (Jennifer Lopez) with a deep distrust of AI finds it may be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE BEACH BOYS (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)
A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.
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God Only Knows how the Beach Boys pulled off their Good Vibrations. Always California Dreamin’ Wouldn’t It Be Nice to break down their Pet Sounds. It’s About Time, really. This should be Fun, Fun, Fun. I dunno if there’s gonna be any Heroes and Villains in the doc but I’m certain we can expect California Girls. Finally and today, I Get Around to their musical coda, thir Last Dance. Thankfully so, their incredible music always made me Smile.
Saturday, May 25
Black Twitter: A People’s History: Complete Docuseries (Anytime / Hulu)
A 3-part docuseries on The rise, movements, voices and memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY: THE STORY OF READING RAINBOW (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
Tells the story of the beloved PBS Children’s series Reading Rainbow which used television to inspire reading.
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Launched in 1983, Reading Rainbow used television to inspire children’s love of reading, especially during the summer reading slump when kids are out of school. 155 30-minute episodes were produced over 23 seasons. Butterfly in the Sky tells the story of the PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow from its iconic host, the people behind the scenes, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television. Like all of us the documentary’s co-director and editor, Bradford Thomason grew up watching the program along with co-director Brett Whitcomb. When they visited My Summer Lair I asked them if they’re ’80s nerds. Big Hint: they are! As filmmakers they were surprised to discover no one had yet to make a documentary about Reading Rainbow. A special children’s TV show like this doesn’t just affect the small sitting cross legged viewers, it touches the creators and producers and all the staff…you understand you’re fashioning something special. The filmmakers wanted to hear those stories and understand those experiences. And here they are.
Sunday, May 26
My Adventures with Superman: Season 2 (Anytime / HBO Max)
In the latest season, the three best friends face a host of new threats. Powerful foes will emerge from Clark’s alien past, Amanda Waller will take aim at Superman, Lois will grapple with the future, and Jimmy Olsen will spend an unbelievable amount of money. Krypton is coming for our young heroes, and its arrival will test their strength, loyalty, and love like never before. New episodes will also stream Sundays on Max.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ACTION (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)
Following he 87North stunt team as they take center stage, revealing the captivating stories of ordinary individuals who have been drawn to the electrifying world of action sports, martial arts, motor-cross and more.
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While Ryan Gosling remains a perpetual tosser (hard pass on The Fall Guy) this Peacock docuseries deftly captures and celebrates impressive stunt men who fall, jump, crash and do so much to make movies look so good. It’s a Tool Time Salute to stunts! I’m so grateful for all they do. The highlight of this three-part docuseries is “the series also features Keanu Reeves taking audiences through his love for the art of action and why these real-life action heroes deserve industry recognition.” Matrix movies and John Wicks don’t work without these Hollywood daredevils.
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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.
