#SetTheVCR: August 08-14, 2022

Monday, August 08

Licorice Pizza (Prime Video-US & Canada)

The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MILESTONE GENERATIONS (ANYTIME / HBO MAX)

“Where are the Black superheroes?” That question, posed back in 1993, led to a revolution: the creation of Milestone Media.
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While Black Panther 2 ironically broke YouTube a Comic-Con trailer that got little attention is a comic book documentary: Milestone Generations is yes exploring the creation of Milestone Media. And boom! It’s narrated by Method Man; an excellent choice. (Method is an avid comic book nerd. He’s…one of us.) According to the media release: “Cartoonist and writer Ivan Velez Jr. (“Blood Syndicate“); DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee; writer and widow of Dwayne McDuffie, Charlotte (Fullerton) McDuffie; DC Senior Art Director Curtis King Jr.; voice actor Phil LaMarr (“Static Shock!,” “Justice League,” “Justice League Unlimited,” “Samurai Jack“); former DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz; journalist and author Angélique Roché; Milestone Media artist and color editor Jason Scott Jones; and filmmaker and author Dr. Sheena Howard are among those interviewed for the project.” Fascinating: shall we nerd it up?

Tuesday, August 09

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions (10 p.m. / HBO)

HBO Sports and NFL Films are partnering with the Detroit Lions for an unfiltered all-access look at what it takes to make it in the National Football League from training camp to focusing on the daily lives and routines of players and coaches.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER: DEVIL IN DISGUISE (ANYTIME / PEACOCK)

An all new four-part series, explore the mystery and crimes of serial killer Kenneth Bianchi.
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I sorely miss Fincher’s Mindhunter so hopefully this Peacock Original will satisfy. In the ’70s, Los Angeles was tormented by the Hillside Strangler a killer whose many victims were discovered in the hills of southern California. Initially believed to be one individual, it was later determined that two people were responsible for the heinous crimes, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr. Only…who is Kenneth Bianchi? Like Mindhunter this docuseries explores Bianchi’s claim he has a split personality; he attests some of the killings were committed by an alter-ego. Truth? Or was he a con man? Perhaps both? Can you trust the truth from a mad man?

Wednesday, August 10

The Orville (Anytime / Disney+)

All 3 Hulu seasons are now streaming on Disney+. (Just like when the MCU shows jumped from Netflix to Disney+.) The second season is spectacular; enjoy that!!
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: RESIDENT ALIEN SEASON 2B
(10 P.M. / SYFY & CRAVE)

In season two, Harry is once again stranded on Earth where he must confront the consequences of having failed his people’s mission to destroy the human race. On his new quest to protect the people of Earth, Harry struggles to hold on to his alien identity as his human emotions grow stronger by the day.
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The joyful Comic-Con news was this show was renewed: Season 3 will be 12 episodes. Right now though we gotta wrap up the second half of Season 2. This is one of my favourite TV shows since it’s 2021 debut. The comedy is fantastic and the sci-fi is witty. The show follows Harry, an alien who lands on Earth and passes himself off as a small-town human doctor. Arriving with a secret mission to kill all humans…only Harry the human no longer agrees with Harry…the alien’s mission to kill everyone. Season 2 picks up on the consequences of having failed his people’s mission to destroy the human race. The alien is about to discover one of the hardest things human beings do is go alone to chart their own path. Humans…are weirder than aliens. This show is out of this world fun. The sheriff and his long-suffering deputy kill me every time. Programming Note: Peacock is the streaming home for Resident Alien in America; while in Canada it’s Crave.

Thursday, August 11

I Am Groot (Anytime / Disney+)

Each short follows Baby Groot as he grows up in the galaxy, going on adventures with new and unusual characters that get him into trouble. (Yes: that’s Bradley Cooper as Rocket.) Bonus Fun: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 comes out May 5, 2023.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MLB AT FIELD OF DREAMS 2 (7:15 P.M. / FOX)

The MLB at Field of Dreams game marked the first Major League game ever held at the fan-favorite movie location as well as in the state of Iowa.
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If you build it MLB will come. Last year the White Sox and the Yankees meet on a baseball field constructed on an Iowa farm based on the 1989 Kevin Costner film in the MLB’s first-ever Field of Dreams Game. It truly was a special event; so it returns for a second time. This time the Cubs and Reds will emerge from the cornstalks. Baseball is a game of traditions and this is a fine one to start and keep going. Let’s play ball!

Friday, August 12

A League of Their Own: Season 1 (Anytime / Prime Video)

This reinterpretation of A League of Their Own evokes the joyful spirit of Penny Marshall’s beloved classic, while widening the lens to tell the story of an entire generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: LOCKE & KEY: SEASON 3 (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

In the thrilling final chapter of the series, the Locke family uncovers more magic as they face a demonic new foe who’s dead-set on possessing the keys.
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I’ve been yelled at by aggressive nerds for not reading Locke & Key comics. Eh…well now I don’t hafta, right? Written by Joe Hill, Locke & Key is illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez and published by IDW Publishing. So while I can’t say how the TV show has veered away from the comics; I can attest Season 1 was a surprise that had me Locked in & Season 2 was low-Key fun. “Locke & Key revolves around three siblings who, after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home in Massachusetts only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities. Little do they know, a devious demon entity also wants the keys, and will stop at nothing to attain them.” The show is like a Tim Burton movie (maybe Big Fish?) meets The House with a Clock in Its Walls. And here we are at the final season…locked and loaded with these unique latchkey kids.

Saturday, August 13

The Lost City (Prime Video-US)

A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: DAY SHIFT (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

His mundane San Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income, hunting and killing vampires.
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The second unit director and stunt coordinator for Fast & Furious 9, The Fate of the Furious, Bloodshot, and the John Wick franchise makes his directorial debut. Welcome to the pool party JJ Party. Though the pool party is a front…for an International Union of Vampire Hunters? Basically Blade in 2022 if he joined a union for necessary benefits and strong job security. Welcome to America in 2022 where everybody works the Day Shift.

Sunday, August 14

Five Days at Memorial (Anytime / Apple TV+)

Chronicles the impact of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath on a local hospital. When the floodwaters rose, power failed, and heat soared, exhausted caregivers at a New Orleans hospital were forced to make decisions that would follow them for years to come.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: TALES OF THE WALKING DEAD (9 P. M. / AMC)

Six New Stories. One Dead World.
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The fourth series within The Walking Dead franchise; I stopped shuffling along like a zombie with the primary series back in Season 2? 3? Something like that. (They’re onto Season 11 though the final 8 episodes begin on October 2nd. I might come back for that; curious to see how they wrap that mother up. I stuck with Robert Kirkman’s Dead comics all the way to the final issue #193.) Tales of the Walking Dead consists of six original one-hour standalone episodes focused on both new and established characters within the zombie apocalypse. Short movies with zombies: Oh! Yes. Features an all-star cast with Terry Crews, Olivia Munn, Parker Posey, Jessie T. Usher, Anthony Edwards, Samantha Morton, Daniella Pineda…lots of fun. This sounds like a…Thriller.

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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.