Streamed & Screened: Movie and TV Reviews and Interviews

Movie theaters saw a boost in attendance recently, but when you look at which films are leading the way, one thing is obvious: established franchises and sequels are dominating the competition.

Ready. Set. Binge! "The Bear" is back for season 3, with all 10 episodes dropping on June 27. 

Co-host Bruce Miller has already previewed the season, and offers spoiler-free insights (other than we get to see more of Chicago).

Miller also has an interview with Lily Gladstone, who talks about her "new" movie "Fancy Dance." No, this isn't the result of her success in "Killers of the Flower Moon." Just like the Fx/Hulu series "Under the Bridge," this was one of several projects filmed in a short period of time, and "Fancy Dance" premiered at Sundance on Jan. 20, 2023.

He also share an interview with writer/director Erica Tremblay and offers up some other independent films to watch for: "Thelma" and "A Sacrifice."

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This week we seem to have something for everyone. 

First, co-hosts Terry Lipshetz and Bruce Miller talk about the return of "House of the Dragon," which recently began Season 2 of the "Game of Thrones" prequel on HBO/Max. And yes, we're off to a bloody start.

The Emmy nominations will be out soon, and one interesting possibility will be the documentary series "Telemarketers," which aired on HBO in 2023. We have an interview with directors Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern, who dive into the dark side of the telemarketing industry.

Finally, Apple TV+has a new animated series coming June 28 that stars Jeanine Mason and Teri Hatcher. We have interviews with both stars.

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The Television Critics Association announced the nominees for the 40th annual TCA Awards and one of the shows with a lot of nominations and buzz is the Netflix limited series "Baby Reindeer."

The show is based on a real-life stalking situation comic, creator and star Richard Gadd lived through and leads co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz into a discussion about the price of fame.

Disney+ released its latest "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte," and the hosts have mixed thoughts about the program starring Carrie-Anne Moss, who is no stranger to sci-fi franchises having starred in "The Matrix" films.

Finally, we look at some of the shows highlighting the TCA Awards nominations beyond "Baby Reindeer," including "The Bear," "Hacks," "Reservation Dogs," "Ripley" and "Shogun." We also talk about how FX (16 nominations), Netflix (16) and HBO/Max (13) continue to dominate the various awards as network programming continues to struggle.

Speaking of HBO, "House of the Dragon" season 2 drops Sunday, June 16. More on that soon!

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Andrew McCarthy and the Brat Pack are back, but no, they're not getting back into the coming of age movies of the 1980s that made them famous.

"Brats" is the new McCarthy-directed documentary that looks back at the actors that were labeled the "Brat Pack." McCarthy reaches out to the actors and talks with Brat Pack actors like Demi Moore, Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez, as well as Brat Pack adjacent actors like Jon Cryer.

"Brats" premieres June 13 on Hulu, and in this episode co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz talk about the two 1985 films that featured three of the Brat Pack actors that led to the name, "The Breakfast Club" and "St. Elmo's Fire."

They also discuss the films of John Hughes, who directed most of the movies of the era that featured Brat Pack actors of the time. The Hughes films, notably "Sixteen Candles," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "The Breakfast Club," "Pretty in Pink" and "Some Kind of Wonderful," were iconic of the era and gave an opportunity for young actors to shine.

Would you see a musical adaptation of "The Notebook" or "Back to the Future"? Maybe "Water for Elephants" or "The Great Gatsby" is more your thing.

These are just some examples of how movies are now being adapted into musicals, rather than the other way around. Co-host Bruce Miller talks about his recent trip to New York where he spent a week seeing some of the hottest shows on Broadway, plus he shares his experience getting an autograph from Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, after a performance of "Merrily We Roll Along."

Documentaries can put viewers into situations they'd never encounter, such as rock climbing in "Free Solo" or big-wave surfing through the HBO series "100 Foot Wave."

"The Blue Angels" brings you inside the cockpit of a U.S. Navy jet and tells the story from the perspective of those that are members of the team.

Co-host Bruce Miller talks about the documentary and shares an interview he had with Greg Wooldridge, the only three-time Boss of the Blue Angels, and director Paul Crowder.

"Garfield" is coming for the kids and action fans will get "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" for Memorial Day weekend, but there are some concerns about the summer lineup. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" has done well so far but has not exploded in the way other early blockbusters like last year's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."

We also talk about "The Jinx: Part Two," which updates the story of real estate heir and convicted killer Robert Durst, "Back to Black," the story of Amy Winehouse, and the latest season of “Bridgerton.” 

We look at the career of Jeff Daniels, who has another new series in “A Man in Full,” and chat about the recent end to the 49th season of "Saturday Night Live."

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The curtains eventually fall on every popular television program. Sure, "The Simpsons" is still going strong at 35 seasons and more than 750 episodes, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

"M*A*S*H" closed with a TV movie. "Newhart" was a dream of Dr. Robert Newhart. "How I Met Your Mother" ended on its own terms, but it's spinoff, "How I Met Your Father" was left unresolved.

Not long after "Curb Your Enthusiasm" wrapped, "Young Sheldon" is another popular program to close this season. We talk about that, have an interview with Montana Jordan who will continue in his role as Georgie Cooper in a spinoff series, and discuss other programs such as "Deadwood," "Mindhunter" and "Cobra Kai."

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"The Fall Guy" with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt underwhelmed at the box office despite favorable reviews and audience scores. Is it a sign of a poor upcoming summer for blockbusters at the box office?

"Unfrosted," Jerry Seinfeld's fictional look at the history of Pop Tarts, is the No. 1 movie on Netflix but has not faired well with viewers or critics.

So maybe the biggest thing to come is the latest series of "Doctor Who," which debuted in 1963 but now finds itself as the newest, biggest show on Disney+. As an added treat, co-host Bruce Miller has an interview with co-stars Ncuti Gatwa, who stars as the Fifteenth Doctor, and Millie Gibson, who plays Ruby Sunday. Miller also talks with showrunner Russel T Davies.

We also look ahead to summer, where "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is expected to rule.

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Zendaya has come a long way since becoming a favorite of tweens thanks to "Shake It Up" and "K.C. Undercover" on the Disney Channel.

She has starred in the not-PG HBO hit "Euphoria" and has appeared in a pair of "Spider-Man" movies, the two "Dune" films and "The Greatest Showman." Now, Zendaya is starring in the sports drama "Challengers," which has quickly become a hit.

In this week's episode, we talk about the film as well as other movies about tennis, which don't necessarily stack up with other sports features.

Also, would you head into space if given the chance?

Co-host Bruce Miller also has an interview with Dr. Cady Coleman, a former astronaut, and her son, Jamey Simpson. They talk about the problems of separation for astronauts and their families. They’re featured in “Space: The Longest Goodbye,” which airs May 12 on PBS.

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