Welcome to the Paradise of TV Recommendations: this week’s #SetTheVCR is bursting with blockbusters and concludes with a Lollapalooza livestream. Not bad for the dog days of Summer.
Monday, July 31
The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders (Anytime / Netflix)
Between 1998 and 2005, a wave of murders targeting elderly women hit Mexico City, triggering the hunt for — and capture — of a most unlikely suspect.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: PARADISE (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)
A man sees the dark side of the time-manipulating biotech company he works for when a crushing debt forces his wife to give up 40 years of her own life.
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German Sci-Fi! One of the overlooked benefits of the ongoing Writer’s Strike is it’s shifted the focus to the International Pipeline for smart streamers like Netflix. I’ve used this space to recommend some international sci-fi from Into the Night to Dark. Just like Dark, Paradise is German sci-fi, though a movie. We got an evil time-manipulating biotech corp who literally took 40 years of dude’s wife’s life. It’s time for him to make them pay for that.
Tuesday, August 01
Origins Of Hip Hop: Season 1 (Anytime / Crave)
Narrated by iconic rapper Nas, Origins of Hip-Hop explores some of hip-hop’s most celebrated and groundbreaking stars as they share the inspiring stories and incredible experiences that molded them into the artists they are now.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MIXTAPE (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)
Happy Birthday Hip Hop: This new documentary explores how the creation of mixtapes launched hip hop into mainstream culture.
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In Celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary, this musical documentary explores the broad history of mixtape culture and features Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, 2 Chainz, Big Boi, DJ Drama, Kid Capri, KRS-One and yes…much more. I appreciate this quote from the media release: “Mixtapes were a form of currency and a signifier that someone was “in the know” and had their ear to the streets. The culture was too strong to be stopped, and the artists were too talented to be ignored – so they turned the sub-culture into the mainstream, and made hip hop what it is today.” Pay attention to how hip hop grew; see what worked, what works and what doesn’t. Every single current movement and social hashtag today would be wise to study hip hop’s growth and mainstream influence. This documentary is a good start. Programming Note: All Up In The Biz is streaming on August 11 also on Paramount+. This is a Biz Markie documentary. More #HipHop50 good news.
Wednesday, August 02
Physical: Third and Final Season (Anytime / Apple TV+)
Season Two found Rose Byrne having successfully launched her first fitness video only to encounter some new and bigger obstacles on her path. She is torn between loyalty to her husband (Rory Scovel) and the values he represents, and a dangerous attraction to someone else.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 (ANYTIME / DISNEY+)
Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life – a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
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Smell ya later Guardians of the Galaxy! (And smell ya later James Gunn!) The recent Ant-Man movie was just okay; bit long but not terrible. I’ve been skipping MCU movies lately, had no love for the recent Thor, Black Panther 2…I mean what value can it offer; dude is dead etc. I did see and enjoyed Doctor Strange 2. So: Are you ready for one last ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy? Thank you James Gunn; the soundtracks alone were out of this world.
Thursday, August 03
The Lincoln Lawyer: Season 2 – Part 2 (Anytime / Netflix)
Based on the series of bestselling novels by renowned author Michael Connelly, the second season is based on the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series, The Fifth Witness. Mickey Haller an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)
The movie tells the story of two Brooklyn plumbers who are brothers and best friends: Mario (Chris Pratt), the brave one with the “let’s-a go” attitude, and the perpetually anxious Luigi (Charlie Day), who would prefer to go nowhere.
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Two Brooklyn plumbers set aside their struggling plumbing business for an adventure through Mushroom Kingdom. It is what it is. Second Chris Pratt recommendation this week. Maybe make it a Pratt double feature? Programming Note: Arrives on August 11 on Prime Video-Canada for non-Americans.
Friday, August 04
65 (Anytime / Crave)
An astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he’s not alone.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)
During the ’90s, a new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – join the Autobots as allies in the battle for Earth.
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The next (7th) installment of this franchise is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. (The teaser is MCU massive!!!) This sixth installment in the Transformers live-action film series (released on December 21, 2018), Bumblebee serves as a spin-off and prequel to the 2007 Michael Bay movie. Plus it’s set in the 80s a glorious decade for the Transformers. This one is set in the 90s and introduces the Maximals. Both are now streaming on Paramount+ if you want to spend your TV week with these More than Meets the Eye blockbusters.
Saturday, August 05
Horny Seniors Double-Bill > Book Club: The Next Chapter (Anytime / Peacock) AND/OR 80 For Brady (Anytime / Prime Video-US).
Filthy Ben Gay Fun either way.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DEMONS AND SAVIORS (ANYTIME / HULU)
Tells the remarkable story of Christina Boyer– once infamously known as the “poltergeist girl,” now a woman convicted of murdering her three-year-old daughter. Thirty years into a life sentence, Christina still proclaims her innocence.
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Another #SetTheVCR post, another True Crime recommendation. Christina Boyer apparently has (or had?) telekinetic abilities. That’s what caught my interest, this isn’t just your standard is she guilty or innocent kinda deal. We got X-Men superpowers in the mix. On April 14, 1992, 22-year-old Christina Boyer was arrested on suspicion of killing her toddler daughter Amber and sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison. Almost 30 years later, she is still incarcerated. This being true crime, nothing is at it seems. This one is hard because no matter…a toddler is dead. Still here we go, just what did happen? And does Christina still have her X-Men superpowers?
Sunday, August 06
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty: Season 2 (Anytime / HBO Max)
It takes more than one championship to build a dynasty.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LOLLAPALOOZA: LIVESTREAM (ANYTIME / HULU)
Tune into Hulu’s exclusive Lollapalooza livestream to watch your favorite artists perform: live.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, A Boogie wit da Hoodie plus lots more! I’m recommending this lineup tonight however Hulu is livestreaming the entire festival. Lollapalooza 2023 will be held August 3 – 6 in Chicago’s Grant Park. Thursday is fantastic as well: Karol G, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, The Beaches, Sofi Tukker, Portugal. The Man…decent, right? No line ups, no overpriced bottles of water…you sit back and watch the concerts on your couch. It’s not the same as being there but sometimes that’s even better. Here’s the 2021 as Hulu ran to get viewers pumped up for the livestream!
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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.
