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August 23
A Black Lady Sketch Show: Where Are My Background Singers? Season 1, Episode 4
A divorce party spirals out of control following Eboni's bad mushroom trip. The tragic tale of star-crossed lovers, Rome & Julissa. A 1930's groupie, Feather Atwood, sets her sights on Negro League baseball player Satchel Paige. A frustrated airline passenger seeks a like-minded customer service representative. Denise tries to prevent yet another breakup and its typical, unusual side effect. "Taskmaster," "Insecurity," and "Turnt" help Crystal navigate a possible cat-calling situation. [more inside]
Killjoys: Three Mutineers Season 5, Episode 6
Dutch's prison takeover is thwarted by an unexpected hostage situation, leaving her, D'avin and John scrambling for a new plan. [more inside]
August 22
Six Feet Under: Nobody Sleeps Season 3, Episode 4
An opera lighting designer with a heart condition dies peacefully, surrounded by his friends, and his longtime partner arranges a tribute opera in the slumber room at Fisher & Diaz. It's Ruth's birthday, and Bettina nixes her plan to have her teeth cleaned and takes her to get a massage, while Lisa arranges a dinner party for her. Claire and Russell experience a night out with Olivier and an artist friend of his. Nate struggles with the feeling that he's living his father's life. [more inside]
Podcast: The Adventure Zone: Amnesty - Episode 34
Storm and fury overtake Kepler, West Virginia. Pieces of an ancient puzzle move closer together. The survivors of Sylvain's fall take shelter. The source of an unimaginable power is revealed.
August 21
Mystery Science Theater 3000: MERLIN'S SHOP OF MYSTICAL WONDERS Rewatch Season 10, Episode 3
Rewatch! Like some mirror universe version of The Princess Bride, a grandfather tells stories to his grandson, but THIS grandfather is Ernest Borgnine, and THESE stories are horrible tales of soul-draining magic and deadly cursed monkeys, and THIS kid isn't getting any sleep tonight. A highlight of the Sci-Fi Channel run, we're closing in on the most popular episodes now.... Previously.
Lodge 49: The Slide Season 2, Episode 2
"Life is good? Life is good. Life is good!" Dud gets back into cleaning pools, with some complications. "No good deed goes unpunished." Liz tries to hit bottom, with some detours along the way. "Churros and jellyfish! - Yes! That's the plan." A game of golf jeopardizes Ernie's career, while Connie finds a new perspective is helpful. "Thermosaurus?"
August 20
Book: The Dazzle of Day
Leaving a dilapidated Earth behind, Quakers across the globe pool funds and resources as they select colonists to send to a newly discovered planet to start life anew in this “miraculous fusion of…science fiction with unsparing realism and keen psychology” (Ursula K. Le Guin).
Podcast: My Brother, My Brother And Me: MBMBaM 473: Spooketti
Hey, Summer! Come over here for a second! We want to talk to you about ... the beach. All the beach stuff we want to do during you, Summer. What's that bear trap doing on the ground? Why's Autumn hiding behind us with a big net in its hand? Don't worry about that, Summer. Just ... come over here for a sec, will ya? Suggested talking points: Backpack Shopping, LASIK Check-In, Master Chief Lessons for Baby Boomers, Ghost Rider vs. Everyone, Pasta 4 Life, Ranch Mouth, Get Sticky Off It
Mindhunter: Entire Season Two Season 2 (Full Season)
The FBI's Behavioral Science Unit enters a new era of importance, with access to more resources than ever before -- but can it survive the internal pressures of damaged trust, and the external sprinkles of insidious family drama??
August 19
Critical Role: Rime and Reason Season 2, Episode 75
The Mighty Nein find themselves transported to snowy Mythburrow in pursuit of a white dragon, and must use all their wisdom to escape with their prize and their lives intact...(guest starring Mica Burton!)
Movie: All the President's Men
The movie begins and ends with images of print on paper. Typewriter keys slam a date onto a blank page: June 1, 1972. President Nixon, in the midst of his re-election campaign and returning from a trip to Moscow, arrives at the Capitol Building to address Congress and the nation. Soon after, in the pre-dawn hours of a Saturday morning, security guard Frank Wills (portraying himself in the film) summons police to the Watergate Complex after discovering evidence of intruders in an office building. In the 6th floor headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, plainclothes officers responding to the call apprehend five well-dressed men in the midst of an attempted burglary. Later that morning 29-year-old reporter Bob Woodward (Robert Redford), hired just months ago at the Washington Post and the lowest-paid member of its staff, is called in to cover the suspects’ arraignment. The case seems of little importance, yet puzzling details soon emerge that arouse Woodward’s suspicions. Another eager young Post reporter, Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), is assigned to join Woodward in following-up on the story. Through diligence, persistence, prodding from editors, and crucial assistance from a shadowy source, the duo uncover some startling connections. [more inside]
Star Trek: Enterprise: Rajiin Rewatch Season 3, Episode 4
Enterprise attempts to gain information about Trellium-D and the Xindi. Complications ensue. [more inside]
Perpetual Grace, LTD: A Sheriff in the Era of the Cartel Season 1, Episode 10
Fun facts: there are specific physicalities of a liar, 11 indications, and any one of them is a strong tell that a person is not being honest. And In baseball, you don't have to pitch right away. You can take your time. You can take your time between pitches.
In baseball. As much as you like. Sometimes it's tough to get into the rhythm of the world. And find a way to rhyme with it. Also, sometimes you just need a proper name to get back in the rhythm. And/or a noble goal. [Season finale]
Perpetual Grace, LTD: The Elements of an Epiphany Season 1, Episode 9
This week, we hear more of the continued adventures of Luke Steel, who totally outsmarted the Crazy Fucking Old Guy. And got out of that crazy shit. Luke learned his lesson, assisted by the crazy old fuck with lessons of love. Lovely lessons of bird style love. And the fear left Luke Steel ripped and really jacked up physique. Also, there's a race against time and the Department of Health, a town covered in old news, and New Leaf chooses a new name.
The Righteous Gemstones: The Righteous Gemstones Season 1, Episode 1
The new series from the team behind Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals. Upon returning from a baptism marathon in China with his father Eli and brother Kelvin, Jesse Gemstone receives a video from blackmailers seeking to sully his reputation. Eli moves forward with plans to expand the Gemstone empire as he continues to mourn his late wife Aimee-Leigh.
Movie: The Nightingale
In 1825, Claire, a 21-year-old Irish convict, chases a British soldier through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. She enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past. [more inside]
August 18
Succession: The Vaulter Season 2, Episode 2
Roman and Kendall do a "routine health check" of new media brand Vaulter to determine the future of the company. Tom tasks Greg with sniffing out waste at ATN, as Greg wonders if the divisive media outlet is the right fit for him. Connor and Willa host a soiree to mark their return to New York. Shiv brings Tom into the loop about her future at Waystar and with Gil's campaign.
The Rain: Full Season 2 - Netflix Season 2 (Full Season)
Netflix - When the virus grows even more dangerous, the friends race to find a cure. But as Apollon closes in, their loyalties are tested. [more inside]
Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat Season 4, Episode 15
Sheridan and B5 try to free Proxima III. Londo and G'Kar try something new. "So from now on, I guess the operational phrase is 'trust no one'." "No. Trust Ivanova; trust yourself. Anybody else -- shoot 'em!" [more inside]
Podcast: The Report: Part V: Russian Overtures
It's the morning of April 25, 2016. At a hotel in London, a Maltese professor meets with a young foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. The two have been in touch over the past few weeks; the professor has been helping the young man connect with Russian officials. Now, over breakfast, the professor lets him in on a secret. On a recent trip to Moscow, high-level government officials told him that the Russians have "dirt" on Trump's opponent. What was the "dirt" in question? "Emails," he says. They have "have thousands of emails."
Movie: The Amazing Johnathan Documentary
What begins as a documentary following the final tour of a dying magician - "The Amazing Johnathan" - becomes an unexpected and increasingly bizarre journey as the filmmaker struggles to separate truth from illusion, and himself from his subject. [more inside]
August 17
Movie: Cowboys & Aliens
A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.
Movie: The Intern
70-year-old widower Robert De Nero has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Anne Hathaway.
Movie: Blinded by the Light
In 1987 Luton, in Thatcher's Britain, confronted by National Front racists on the streets and a stressed, angry father at home, a British Asian teenager learns to live his own life, get a new perspective on his Pakistani immigrant family, and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha (known for Bend It Like Beckham), with music by legendary Indian composer and film score creator A.R. Rahman. Inspired by a true story. [more inside]
Book: Butter
After traveling across three continents to stalk the modern story of butter, award-winning food writer and former pastry chef Elaine Khosrova serves up a story as rich, textured, and culturally relevant as butter itself.
From its humble agrarian origins to its present-day artisanal glory, butter has a fascinating story to tell, and Khosrova is the perfect person to tell it. With tales about the ancient butter bogs of Ireland, the pleasure dairies of France, and the sacred butter sculptures of Tibet, Khosrova details butter’s role in history, politics, economics, nutrition, and even spirituality and art. Readers will also find the essential collection of core butter recipes, including beurre manié, croissants, pâte brisée, and the only buttercream frosting anyone will ever need, as well as practical how-tos for making various types of butter at home--or shopping for the best.
Book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
"Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year—the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she's black—to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride—no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess something no one can take away." [more inside]
August 16
Six Feet Under: The Eye Inside Season 3, Episode 3
A young woman pursued by three aggressively cat calling young men runs into the street only to realize that they're her friends and are playing a "joke" on her... and that she's standing directly in the path of an oncoming vehicle. Keith and David spend the weekend at a resort. Ruth goes hiking and shopping with her new friend Bettina. Claire begins a new studio class with an inspiring new instructor, and reluctantly decides she and Phil have irreconcilable differences. Lisa has finally had all she can take of Carol's neurotic demands. Rico finds it difficult to separate thoughts of his family from his work, and Nate tries to find time for himself away from both family and work. [more inside]
A Black Lady Sketch Show: 3rd & Bonaparte Is Always in the Shade Season 1, Episode 3
Asia is shocked by a very public, very unexpected marriage proposal from her new boyfriend DeWayne. New recruits talk about their goals and expectations at a gang orientation. A church service devolves when congregants take to the mic with self-centered motivations. Dr. Haddassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman turns a toast at her sister's wedding into a teachable moment. (also a 227 reboot, and the continuing 'After the Event' sketch) [more inside]
Killjoys: A Bout, A Girl Season 5, Episode 5
Dutch enters the deadly Supermax prison fights for a chance to take over the entire ship. [more inside]
Movie: Outlander
During the reign of the Vikings, Kainan, a man from a far-off world, crash lands on Earth, bringing with him an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Though both man and monster are seeking revenge for violence committed against them, Kainan leads the alliance to kill the Moorwen by fusing his advanced technology with the Viking's Iron Age weaponry.
Lodge 49: All Circles Vanish Season 2, Episode 1
The pool shop is under new ownership. Dud recuperates while searching for Ernie. Ernie deals with the aftermath of his adventure. Liz seeks additional finances, while Connie finds herself in a new, supportive environment. [more inside]
Perpetual Grace, LTD: Fiveever Season 1, Episode 8
Pa and Ma face off new obstacles, as James faces his own set of hurdles in Half Acre, namely a ranger, an undertaker, and an orphaned son. Also, more on the magical art of Hunkering Down, and The Little Cabin That is Totally Not Scary But Rather is Oh So Filled with Fun and Safety And You Can Stay Here for Three Whole Days and be So Safe and Very Merry.
August 15
Elementary: The Last Bow Season 7, Episode 13
Series finale: Holmes and Watson battle with tech billionaire Odin Reichenbach; and receive word of their old enemy and Sherlock's former love, Jamie Moriarty.
August 14
Mystery Science Theater 3000: GAMERA Rewatch Season 3, Episode 2
Rewatch! Up in the arctic, atomic tests run by Major Curley awaken a huge, slumbering giant from the deep... if you thought, "oh it's okay, it's just a big turtle," you might be surprised by the havoc it raises. Meanwhile, a sad sad kid in Japan is obsessed with his pet turtle, so his parents take it away from him, making him even more sad. Oh, how will their stories converge. First of the Gamera series. Other than perhaps Gamera vs. Barugon, the only Gamera without kids in it, this may be the one that plays it the straightest, without goofy enemy monsters, the Gamera theme song or other ridiculous elements. It's not terrible as a monster movie, but that subplot with Kenny pushes it over the edge into ludicrousness. Previously
Succession: The Summer Palace Season 2, Episode 1
Kendall tries to make amends with his dad for his takeover attempt betrayal. Logan receives some unvarnished advice from his banker about the next best move for Waystar Royco. As Tom maneuvers for a new position in the company, Shiv tries to determine whether Logan is playing mind games regarding his successor.
August 13
The Handmaid's Tale: Mayday Season 3, Episode 13
With her plan in place, June reaches the point of no return on her bold strike against Gilead; Serena Joy and Commander Waterford attempt to find their way forward in their new lives.
Six Feet Under: You Never Know Season 3, Episode 2
A disgruntled former employee walks into his old workplace with a shotgun and murders three ex-colleagues, then himself. Fisher & Diaz handles the funerals of one of the victims and the gunman, much to Rico’s disapproval. Ruth is called to the bedside of her sister Sarah, who is going through Vicodin withdrawal under the stern eye of her friend Bettina. Nate and Lisa disagree on Q-tip technique and laundry detergent, bond over their irritation with Carol, and invite Keith and David to dinner. Claire learns her new thing with Phil is less of a thing than she thought. [more inside]
Book: The Art of Fermentation
"The Art of Fermentation is the most comprehensive guide to do-it-yourself home fermentation ever published. Sandor Katz presents the concepts and processes behind fermentation in ways that are simple enough to guide a reader through their first experience making sauerkraut or yogurt, and in-depth enough to provide greater understanding and insight for experienced practitioners." [more inside]
Critical Role: Manifold Morals Season 2, Episode 74
Joined by a new, lawful ally, the Mighty Nein delve deeper into the disks of Uthodurn in their search for mithril and the whereabouts of a white dragon... (guest starring Mica Burton!)
Legion: Chapter 27 Season 3, Episode 8
The end of the end
Podcast: My Brother, My Brother And Me: MBMBaM 472: Public Domain LASIK Voicemails
We have been smashed to pieces by our recent viewing of Hobbs and Shaw, which may explain the somewhat punch-drunk nature of today's episode. It's also possible we've been sprayed with some kind of Jason Statham neurotoxin. In either case: Enjoy! Suggested talking points: 5DXXX, Neighbor Lube, Buying Money, Potential Golf Family, Secret Chicken Debut, Chinning, Fun Facts
August 12
Star Trek: Enterprise: Extinction Season 3, Episode 3
An Away mission goes poorly. [more inside]
August 11
Movie: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
On Halloween night in 1968, three teenagers in the small town of Mill Valley, Pennsylvania—horror-obsessed amateur writer Stella and her friends Auggie and Chuck—play a prank on school bully Tommy Milner and evade him with the help of drifter Ramon. The group decides to explore a local haunted house which belonged to the Bellows family who helped found the town. Inside they find a secret room and a book of scary stories belonging to Sarah Bellows who is not in any family photographs. Are the scary stories tell about Sarah and her stories true? Based on the children's horror story collections of the same name. Produced and co-written by Guillermo del Toro. Directed by André Øvredal (Trollhunter).
Podcast: The Report: Part IV: A Tale of Two Trump Towers
As the Russians were engaged in operations to hack and dump emails, the Trump campaign and its associates were in communication with Wikileaks about the distribution of stolen materials. But that's far from the whole story of the Trump campaign's connections to Russia during the 2016 election. As Special Counsel Robert Mueller began to piece together the rest of that story, his investigation came to focus on two Trump Towers. The first is Trump Tower Moscow. Beginning all the way back in 2013 and through the spring of 2016, the Trump organization is pursuing a project to build a skyscraper in Russia. For a long time, the plans for Trump Tower Moscow had gone nowhere. But when Donald Trump announces he is running for president, things start to get interesting.
Movie: The Kitchen
The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison. [more inside]
Book: Trees in Paradise
California now has more trees than at any time since the late Pleistocene. This green landscape, however, is not the work of nature. It's the work of history.
In the years after the Gold Rush, American settlers remade the California landscape, harnessing nature to their vision of the good life. Horticulturists, boosters, and civic reformers began to "improve" the bare, brown countryside, planting millions of trees to create groves, wooded suburbs, and landscaped cities. They imported the blue-green eucalypts whose tangy fragrance was thought to cure malaria. They built the lucrative "Orange Empire" on the sweet juice and thick skin of the Washington navel, an industrial fruit. They lined their streets with graceful palms to announce that they were not in the Midwest anymore. [more inside]
Wu Assassins: Season 1 (Full Season) Season 1 (Full Season)
Yesterday, he dreamed of owning a food truck.Today, he's humanity's last hope. He's the Chosen One -- and the last hero of his kind. (Netflix Original) [more inside]
August 10
Book: Evvie Drake Starts Over
From MeFi’s own Linda_Holmes comes a heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.
GLOW: Say Yes Season 3 (Full Season)
The third season of Netflix's GLOW was released on August 9, 2019. [more inside]
Movie: Await Further Instructions
A family's Christmas takes a strange turn when they awake to find themselves trapped inside and begin receiving mysterious instructions through the television.
Movie: Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling
After 20 years in space, Rocko returns to a technologically advanced O-Town and makes it his mission to get his favorite show back on the air. [more inside]
A Black Lady Sketch Show: Your Boss Knows You Don't Have Eyebrows Season 1, Episode 2
A perpetually-late-to-work Shayla decides to forgo her morning makeup routine, to her coworker Toni's dismay. Trinity the Invisible Spy hunts down The Reclues, an elusive villain with a surprising identity. An array of average, awkward contestants perform before a panel of judges at the Basic Ball. Security guard Fatimah helps an office worker investigate who stole her missing mug. Robin, Quinta, and Gabrielle uncover a shocking truth about Ashley's nighttime ritual. (plus a wedding vow sketch) [more inside]
Book: The Departure
Text: A badly-done-to super-genius gets his revenge on, and freedom from, the totalitarian world government by escaping IIIIIN SPAAAAACE.
Subtext: Neal Asher grabbing you by the shirt collar and screaming THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU VOTE LABOUR! [more inside]
Killjoys: Ship Outta Luck Season 5, Episode 4
The Killjoy trio must figure out a way to break out from an inescapable maximum security prison. [more inside]
Movie: Norma Rae
Though already in decline in the US, union membership was still close to 30% in 1973 when Crystal Lee Sutton (then Crystal Lee Jordan), a 33 year old mother of three, faced retaliation for her efforts to organize the textile mill where she had worked since age 17. Her actions were part of an ongoing struggle by activists and workers to unionize the J.P. Stevens plant in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, where three generations of Sutton’s family had toiled for low pay under poor working conditions. Before she left the plant, she made a final stand that would be immortalized in film. [more inside]
August 9
Book: The Planetary Omnibus
Planetary has been hailed as a timeless story that turned modern superhero conventions on their heads. Written by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and with stunning art by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), this critically acclaimed, landmark series took a look at the inter-dimensional peace-keeping force known as Planetary. The trio on the ground includes Elijah Snow, a hundred-year-old man, Jakita Wagner, an extremely powerful woman, and The Drummer, a man with the ability to communicate with machines. Tasked with tracking down evidence of super-human activity, these mystery archaeologists uncover unknown paranormal secrets and histories, such as a World War II supercomputer that can access other universes, a ghostly spirit of vengeance, and a lost island of dying monsters.
Six Feet Under: Perfect Circles Season 3, Episode 1
Nate has brain surgery, the surgery does not go smoothly, and his brain flashes through various possible outcomes for the surgery and his reality. Then, seven months post-surgery, he and Lisa settle into married life together and cope with Lisa's crazy boss, Ruth revels in being a grandmother, Rico flexes his business partner muscles, David and Keith try couples counselling, David tries out for a gay men's chorus, Claire is unenthused about art school, agrees to drive a body to the crematorium, and meets a musically inclined crematorium employee. [more inside]
The Letdown: Season 2 Season 2 (Full Season)
New mom Audrey continues in the pathos of early parenthood. Australian series on Netflix. [more inside]
August 8
Movie: 101 Dalmatians
When a litter of Dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella de Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement. [more inside]
Wu Assassins: Drunken Watermelon Season 1, Episode 1
A botched restaurant order makes Kai a target of Triad members, who are unaware of his family connections -- and his new status as the Wu Assassin. (Netflix Original) [more inside]
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