It’s May if you can believe it. But thankfully here’s a whole pile of TV recommendations so you don’t hafta yell out “May Day!” when you can’t find anything.
Monday, April 26
Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days (8 p.m. / ABC)
ABC presents SESAME STREE: 50 YEARS OF SUNNY DAYS, a two-hour special on the legacy and impact of the beloved global phenomenon
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Sammy Suggestion: In Search of Darkness: Part II (Anytime / Shudder)
The follow-up to IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS, dives deeper into the practical-effects decade of ’80s horror movies with all-new interviews from genre icons and industry experts alongside the original cast.
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Big deep breath: Ready??! It’s All Happening: “Part II dives deeper into the fabled practical-effects decade of iconic and eclectic ‘80s horror movies that changed the course of film history. Packed with over four hours of brand-new interviews, including such legendary horror icons as Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead), and special-effects wizard Tom Savini (Friday the 13th), Part II features 15 new faces alongside 40-plus returning members of the original In Search of Darkness cast to delve into more fan-favorite titles of ‘80s horror, year-by-year, expanding its scope to cover more international releases and spotlighting horror-career retrospectives.” If you’re an 80s horror fan this is not to be missed: this documentary will have you leaving wanting gore!
Tuesday, April 27
Sammy Suggestion: Jiu Jitsu (Anytime / Netflix (Canada))
After the defeat of a celebrated war hero, an ancient order of fighters battles powerful space invaders as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
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Ruckus! Mayhem! Violence! And: Nicolas Cage with a sword. Jiu Jitsu also threw in a race of alien invaders as the flimsy 80s action movie plot: “Every six years, an ancient order of jiu-jitsu fighters joins forces to battle a vicious race of alien invaders. But when a celebrated war hero goes down in defeat, the fate of the planet and mankind hangs in the balance.” Whatever. This looks so dumb it’s gotta be fun: I’m 100% IN!
Wednesday, April 28
The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 4 (Anytime / Hulu)
Offred, one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.
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Sammy Suggestion: Headspace Guide To Sleep (Anytime / Netflix)
Learn how to sleep better with Headspace. Each episode unpacks misconceptions, offers friendly tips and concludes with a guided wind-down.
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Netflix and Chill! Headspace Guide To Sleep because babies don’t have insomnia. “Headspace Guide To Sleep offers a new facts and tips about sleep, backed by science.” Somewhere along the way people started doing this natural activity badly? Should be super helpful…well unless you live on Elm St.: One, Two, Freddy’s Coming For You.
Thursday, April 29
NFL Draft 2021 (8/7c PM / ESPN, NFL Network & ABC)
For the third consecutive year, ESPN and ABC will provide distinct prime-time presentations on days 1 and 2. ESPN will again offer the traditional draft telecast—a combination of X’s and O’s analysis, player highlights and storytelling—while ABC, featuring the eleven-time Sports Emmy Award-winning “College GameDay Built by The Home Depot” crew, will cover the event with an emphasis on the individual journeys of NFL Draft prospects.
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Let’s Be Real (8:30/7:30c PM / Fox)
Election-themed puppet special covering politics, pop culture and the 2020 election.
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Sammy Suggestion: Hot Docs 2021 (Anytime)
HOT DOCS Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market. Each year, the Festival presents a selection of approximately 200 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the globe.
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Like SXSW before it and like Tribeca Film Festival after it; Hot Docs 2021 is all online: no in person screenings. This year Hot Docs runs from Thursday, April 29 and ends on Sunday, May 9. And unfortunately for Americans: “All films participating in Hot Docs Festival are geo-blocked to Canada.” So…what do we have from the giant selection? You got Edgar Wright’s doc on The Sparks Brothers (think Queen before Queen if you don’t know em), Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (which reflects on the children’s tv show origins and legacy), Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest (“Kim Cannon Arm attempts a world record by playing the 80s arcade game Gyruss for 100 hours straight”) and so much more. There’s international docs and docs from Toronto; you want it they got it. Prices, packages and the full selection are of course on their site. Doc it up this week.
Friday, April 30
The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Anytime / Netflix)
A robot apocalypse put the brakes on their cross-country road trip. Now it’s up to the Mitchells — the world’s weirdest family — to save the human race.
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Sammy Suggestion: Without Remorse (Anytime / Prime Video)
An elite Navy SEAL (Michael B. Jordan) uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife in Without Remorse, the explosive origin story of action hero John Clark – one of the most popular characters in author Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe.
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Michael B. Jordan is yet again settling scores though this time his beef isn’t with Wakanda. Someone murdered his wife! I suspect it’s probably one of his rabid female fans; though the trailer suggests a large government conspiracy. Without Remorse was scheduled for a February 2021 theatrical release however Without Remorse it’s been dumped onto Prime Video. This is set in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe which is known as Ryanverse (a TV show I haven’t watched.) so yes it’s entirely possible for a Tom Clancy 48 Hrs version down the road. Rather than show the classic trailer I’ma go with Amazon’s Super Bowl ad which sorta kinda promoted Without Remorse.
Saturday, May 01
Sammy Suggestion: Tenet (8/7c PM HBO)
Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
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I saw Tenet on September 20, 2020. I didn’t expect that’d be my last movie for such a long time. Tenet requires more than 1 viewing so this is most helpful: it’ll be on Crave on May 7. With Inception Nolan clearly established the physics of that world (well dream world) so viewers knew what was possible (if they didn’t always know what was real.) With Tenet I don’t feel Nolan fully firmly established the physics or rather it was too complex so viewers end up doing calculus instead of enjoying a movie. In Star Trek I dunno what dilithium crystals are but I know when the ship is in trouble: you know? And at the end of the day it’s Nolan: you’re in or you’re out.
Sunday, May 02
The Nevers (9/8c PM / HBO & Crave)
Joss Whedon’s Nevers is described as “a science fiction drama about a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world.” August, 1896. Victorian London is rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people — mostly women — abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger.
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Sammy Suggestion: Things Heard & Seen (Anytime / Netflix)
A young woman discovers that both her husband and their new home harbor sinister secrets after they leave Manhattan for small-town life.
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Amanda Seyfried is the latest blonde chick to move into an Amityville Haunted House. That always goes well. To quote Elaine from Seinfeld and the basement: “Get Out!” F. Murray Abraham handles the exposition which is kinda what you want from a horror movie (him or Tony Todd!). And the big sister from Stanger Things shows up without pants so I can’t believe she got paid to work without pants. And those are the Things I’ve Heard And Seen in the trailer.
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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.
