The Unfettered Critic – September 2022

Cole Porter had it right. It’s too darn hot… to sup, fill the cup, or engage in any of the usual (ahem) shenanigans with your honey during this hot, hot, hot summer.

Our suggestion: boost the air conditioning, and stream, baby, stream—on the web, that is. Whether it’s a movie you missed at the theater, or a brand new made-for-the-tube limited series, there is something for everyone—and you don’t have to break a sweat to get it.

And of course, given the opportunity, how could we possibly not suggest some of our favorite titles. Ready?

The Offer (Paramount+): How many times have you watched the brilliant 1972 Best Picture Oscar winner The Godfather?” Yeah, us too. But have you ever wondered how this perfect production came about? Well, The Offer answers that question. Shot on the same New York streets, and the actual L.A./Paramount Pictures locations as the original movie, this dramatic presentation has perfectly cast actors to portray director Francis Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler), actors Marlon Brando (Justin Chambers), Al Pacino (Anthony Ippolito), etc. Going over-budget while dodging interference from both the studio and the mafia (with Giovanni Ribisi as real life Don, Joe Colombo), Coppola and producer Al Ruddy (Miles Teller) brilliantly skidded their way across a raging sea of production troubles. This is one ten-episode series that does not deserve to sleep with the fishes.

The Sandman (Netflix): Based on British fantasy writer Neil Gaiman’s groundbreaking graphic novel series for DC Comics. The character known as The Sandman (Tom Sturridge), alternately referred to as “Dream” or “Morpheus,” is one of a clan called the “Endless.” They’re not exactly gods, but godlike embodiments of powerful natural forces, each with a realm of his/her own to look after. Other members of Dream’s family include Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. You won’t meet all of them in this run of ten episodes (hopefully Netflix soon will commit to a Season Two), but you will find absorbing tales and characters, populated by a talented, mostly British cast (including Charles Dance, David Thewlis, Joely Richardson, Jenna Coleman, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Fry, and Mark Hamill). The series begins with Dream being captured by a human, which explains the terrible 1920s “sleepy sickness” epidemic. Some scenes in The Sandman are scary, some fanciful, but not one frame is boring. Think of this as a multi-part fairy tale that out-conjures Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, while it out-thought-provokes The Twilight Zone.

The Old Man (FX): Remember when Jeff Bridges was the handsome, young hero of films like The Last Picture Show, Starman, Tron, and The Fabulous Baker Boys? And then later when he became the middle-aged but compelling lead in films like The Fisher King, The Big Lebowski, Crazy Heart, and True Grit? Well, now he’s almost as old as we are (although still compelling), and the star of a taut, action-packed, and, yes, violent series named The Old Man. He plays an ex-CIA operative who’s being chased, shot at, and pummeled by a lot of people—including members of the CIA and the FBI. Very little will prevent his former friend and now dedicated opponent Harold (played by John Lithgow) from capturing him. At the same time, nothing (you can’t even imagine!) will prevent the old man from eluding him. Does that sound a bit like chase shows such as The Fugitive? Maybe, but the “action” in this makes that aged series play like a Saturday morning cartoon.

And so we advise: Tune in. Turn on. Drop everything. These series are as hot as the great outdoors. And that’s really cool.