Category: Pop Culture Page 20 of 77

On June 21, 2022

In Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews

“The Offer” is the Paramount Plus mini series about the making of “The Godfather.”

The iconic gangster film is over 50 years old, but the stories about the difficulties in making the film have been legendary for years.

Robert Evans became the producer of “The Godfather” movies after the first film hit it big, but Albert Ruddy of Canada was listed as the producer on the first poster and had to solve many problems for the production to go forward. For one thing, Paramount studio chief Robert Evans didn’t want Al Pacino to play Michael Corleone. He wanted Robert Redford.

Also, Frank Sinatra had antagonized the Mafia over the popular book’s film version. He was unhappy thinking that the portrayal of a washed-up mobbed-up singer in the book was based on him. In the film, Vic Damone ultimately played the part.

Giovanni Ribosi plays the part of Mob boss Tony Columbo; it is Columbo whom Al Ruddy has to get in good with, in order to get the approval of the Italian American community to let the film be made. The drama when Columbo is shot and Crazy Joey Gallo takes over at a key momnt in filming is intense.

Miles Teller plays Al Ruddy. He is the central character in this one, whereas he played second fiddle to Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick.” (Still, it is a step up from “Spiderhead,” which was a waste of Teller’s talents).

Colin Hanks portrays Barry Lapidus, a studio executive, and Burn Gorman plays a really-over-the-top Charlie Bludhorne, another bean counter for the studio. It is hard to understand how Bludhorne, the Gulf & Western executive, would ever be placed in the position of authority.

Matthew Goode’s interpretation of Robert Evans made him sound as though he had a perpetual head cold. While Goode looked slightly like the thin, elegantly clad Evans (whose family owned Evan-Picone), he could have resembled Evans more had he been tanner. There are even references to Evans perpetual tan in the script, but Matthew Goode looked normal. Evans also constantly uses the phrase “Booby.” This may be historically accurate, but it was a noticeable affectation.

The film portrays Evans as very upset over third wife Ali McGraw’s leaving him for Steve McQueen (they were making “The Getaway”), but, in real life, Evans was married 7 times and lived to be 89. Evans did have a conviction for dealing cocaine in 1980 (he denied he was a dealer). Evans name came up in connection with what came to be known as the Cotton Club murder, but he was not convicted for that crime.

The production values for the 10-part series are good and there is interesting cinematography, as with the scenes in the last episode supposedly shot at the Academy Awards. (Note all the empty seats behind Teller, which would never happen at the Oscars). Aside from Meredith Garretson, who plays Ali McGraw, the most prominent female rule is filled by Juno Temple (“Killer Joe”) who plays Bettye McCartte.

The look-alike actors in the piece, doppelgangers playing everyone from Robert Redford to Marlon Brando, are generally not very convincing, in terms of their resemblance to the originals. For instance, the Jimmy Caan individual is much too tall and substantial to play Jimmy Caan. Anthony Ippolito is closer to resembling Al Pacino and the Brando actor gets the voice right.

The intricate plot is improved by the shooting that took place in Sicily and the stories that emanated from the original filming are the stuff of legend.

By the 10^th episode, we are told that Al Ruddy does not want to produce the sequels to “The Godfather.” The reason why has to do with his desire to produce “The Longest Yard” with Burt Reynolds. This is saluted as a brave decision, but, in light of the huge success of the first movie, it seems like a very poor lifetime choice, especially since Ruddy’s claim to fame up to that point was only as the producer of “Hogan’s Heroes.” Ruddy did go on to produce “Million Dollar Baby” for and with Clint Eastwood and it was Al Ruddy whom Eastwood contacted when he decided to play the lead in “Cry Macho,” a story that he remembered had been kicking around in Hollywood for a while.

The filmmakers are very fortunate to have both Al Ruddy (age 92) still alive and Al Pacino (among other original cast members) to share their true life stories about filming this iconic film. The director of four of the episodes is Adam Arkin and, generally, the entire 10 episode series is intriguing and entertaining. One does question the comment made at the very end of the series that “The Godfather” is considered the best movie ever made. I know that the films I have heard referenced in tis way include “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Apocalypse Now.” There is no question that “The Godfather” belongs in the company of those other films, but saying it is THE best film ever made may be a stretch.

Father’s Day and a New Development in Breast Cancer Treatment

On June 20, 2022

In Editorial, Health/Medicine, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Science and Medicine

Today is Monday, June 20th.

This will not be my last Monday of radiation, but it may be the last full week of same.

There was a very interesting article that I ran across about Clinical trials for a new method of dealing with breast cancers, which involves freezing the tumors, which then implode. It sounds ideal, as there is no incision, no radiation, and all the prospective patient has to do thereafter is take one of the aromatase inhibitors. They have found that the “implosion” of the tumors actually seems to stimulate the patient’s own immune system to deal with whatever residue is left after the deep freezing. Wish I could have been in that M.D. Anderson study, but that would have required me to live near Dallas, Texas. I did want to mention this for the benefit of the 1 in 8 women who might be diagnosed with breast cancer and fall into the category I fell into, which means late-in-life presentation and small and no metastasis.

It sounds like this method could revolutionize the treatment of breast cancer (and, possibly, other cancers. The idea of having NO scar and NO operation is tempting, and the fact that one does not have to undergo radiation afterwards is equally tempting.

Yesterday was Father’s Day. The pictures I will post here are of the restaurant I took my husband to for dinner. I have to admit that I was planning on cooking a pork loin roast with a new recipe for the seasoning but I apparently had a senior moment and froze the sucker. It was as hard as a rock when I realized my faux pas.

The Captain’s Table

We dined, instead at the Captain’s Table just below the hill that we live on and roughly 2 miles away. It was beastly hot, but the outdoor veranda was lovely and my husband enjoyed a shrimp tempura dinner while I had the salmon with a brown sugar/mustard sauce.

He also received a Super Box from the children, which will allow us to get viewing on our Texas set, as we have one here. We are currently watching “The Offer” with Miles Teller, a 10-part mini series, that tells about the drama behind the making of “The Godfather” half a century ago. I will be reviewing it here after we watch episodes 9 and 10, which remain.

After that, we’ll move on to Dark Winds, which is recommended, about an investigator on an Indian reservation.

The father in house also got 3 lovely cards, a gigantic bottle of Seagram’s 7, andan Amazon gift card.

Two New Good Hulu Offerings: “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” & “The Old Man”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL2lhM_kDPM

On June 17, 2022

In Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

We watched Emma Thompson’s tour de force performance in the just-released (on Hulu) story of a middle-aged woman who has never experienced an orgasm and hires a sex worker to meet with her and teach her about sex for pleasure, since her own 31-year marriage, while relatively happy, was not particularly satisfying in the bedroom. She has two children: a “boring” son and a bohemian daughter, both grown.

Much of the discussion of Thompson’s performance in “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” in the “New York Times” was about how she should be able to be nominated for an Oscar, but, because the film went straight to Hulu without a theatrical showing, she is not.

Emma has one scene at film’s end where she is completely starkers and acknowledged that it was the hardest scene she has ever had to play. In fact, the cast (which is mainly Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack as the young gigolo who opens new worlds to the somewhat repressed middle-aged ex-teacher) is great. The part was written especially for Thompson by writer Katy Brand and was directed by Sophie Hyde.

It is a bit slow-moving and looks like it could have been a play (most of the action takes place in a hotel room), but it is well-done.

And, while we’re on the subject of Hulu, be sure to take in Jeff Bridges’ new mini series, “The Old Man.”

Bridges plays a former CIA officer, who’s living off the grid, and finds himself on the run from people who want to kill him. There are two Doberman Pinschers in the cast and Amy Brenneman shows up playing a woman who(m) Bridges rents a home from and to whom he becomes close. There are also some flashback scenes involving the dead wife of the CIA officer and John Lithgow has a relationship with Bridges’ character of Dan Chase.

We’ve only seen two of the episodes, but the dark tone of the mini-series and the non-stop action from “the old man” marks it as one we will return to and enjoy.

“Jurassic Park Dominion” Ends the Series That Began in 1993

On June 11, 2022

In Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews

We journeyed off to see “Jurassic Park Dominion.” First, I re-watched the 1993 original movie, to see if Spielberg’s original, based on Michael Crichton’s novel (and with Crichton assisting on the original script) held up. It did.

Then, we put in 2 hours and 20 minutes watching what I think is the sixth installment in the nearly 30-year-old franchise.

The first thing that surprised both of us was that the focus was not on Chris Pratt, but on Bryce Dallas Howard. That made sense, given the script’s emphasis on the young cloned girl whose mother, Charlotte Lockwood managed to give birth to the child (played by newcomer Isabella Sermon) on her own and also “fixed” the genetic defect in her child that had claimed Charlotte’s own life prematurely. She is now being parented and protected by Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt. It’s all about reuniting mother and daughter after she is snatched because of the intellectual advances studying her would represent.

The second thing that surprised us was that genetically modified locusts are more pivotal to the movie’s plot than the dinosaurs. An evil corporation called BioSyn has bio-engineered the locusts to make them completely lethal to crops that are not planted from BioSyn seeds. The insects are devastating fields from Iowa to Texas. Soon BioSyn will control the world’s food supply. As the screenplay says, “We’re just three meals away from anarchy.”

The third thing that was a surprise: Black characters save everyone. There are 2 major “new” characters, DeWanda Wise as helicopter pilot Kayla Watts, and Mamoudou Athie as good guy Ramsey Cole, who becomes the John Dean of the BioSyn complex, refusing to go along with evil-doing by those in command. There is a line that references “complete system-wide corruption in the executive ranks.” I couldn’t help but feel that this reference had more to do with politics than BioSyn.

Here’s another comment: Campbell Scott, who plays the CEO of BioSyn, Lewis Dodgson, appears to be modeled on the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook. The white hair gives it away. The BioSyn executive denies being solely interested in making money, instead telling the visitors to BioSyn (Laura Dern, Sam Neill) how much good his company plans to do for the world. [Maybe. Maybe not.]

One of the best things about this series that began in 1993 with Steven Spielberg at the helm is that all three of the main characters from the original film are back. By that, I mean Laura Dern as Ellie Sattler, Sam Neill as Alan Grant, and Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm. Then, of course, we have Maisie’s adoptive parents, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing.

There are certain lines from the original film that have resonated throughout the past 29 years. One is “Life finds a way,” which, according to a recent late-night appearance by Jeff Goldblum, multiple fans have had tattooed on their bodies.

I decided not to reveal the plot to those who would severely criticize me if I did, but to give you some lines from the film that amused me or made an impression. Here they are:

“We are 3 meals away from anarchy.”

“We’re subordinate to nature. Unfortunate consequences occur in dealing with genetics and nature.”

We must transform human consciousness.”

“It is always darkest before eternal nothingness.” (Snidely, from Jeff Goldblum)

“We should take the time that we have left and, just like we always do, squander it.” (Jeff Goldblum)

“We don’t stop because a little side project went awry.” (Campbell Scott to his underling after the locusts have completely ruined things.)

“That girl is the most valuable intellectual property on the planet.” (Referencing the character Maisie).

“The way the world is headed, it’s hard to look away.”

“It isn’t enough to do nothing.”

“You’re racing towards the extinction of our species and you don’t care.”

“That’s bananas.” (from Jeff Goldblum, in response to the burning locusts scenes, which are spectacular)

“Jurassic World—not a fan.” (spoken sarcastically by Jeff Goldblum).

“We have an understanding, Ramsay, and you do not break that.” (Spoken by the Tim Cook clone, who is grabbing the Barbasol shaving cream can from the original film, which Wayne Knight was using to smuggle dinosaur DNA.)

“The system’s safety system is what is gonna’ kill us.”.

“Forget the hat.” (Laura Dern to Sam Neill at a key moment)

What matters is what we do now.”

“Nobody said there’d be bugs.” (locust scenes; seems like an homage to the snakes line from “Indiana Jones.”)

These lines were scripted by Emily Carmichael and Colin Trevorrow, the film’s director. Trevorrow has been involved with 3 previous “Jurassic” films, in 2016, 2018 and 2021. He was also slated to direct a “Star Wars” movie until Kathleen Kennedy fired him.

The cinematographer for this film is John Schwartzman and Michael Giacchino did the music.

I liked the movie, but, at 2 hours and 20 minutes, it was overlong. There were many fights between dinosaurs (the bigger the better). I felt like I was watching Godzilla versus King Kong. The dinosaurs are amazing, but 2 such fights would have been enough for me.

During the repetitive fight scenes tympany drums were liberally used, the music swelled, and I checked my watch. There are so many dinosaur fights between dinosaurs with names that I would not be able to remember, even if I had tried, that this overview will simply say “many, many kinds of dinosaurs.”

It’s supposed to be the end of the “Jurassic Park” movie series. It’s loaded with messages and references that I think are meant to evoke our attitude toward global warming, Donald J. Trump, and many other topics of the moment, so listen carefully for all of them when you go.

Other Countries Weigh in on USA Gun Violence

On June 10, 2022

In Editorial, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture

The newest issue of the June 10^th “The Week” magazine had some really interesting things to say about the spate of violence in America.

On page 4, Charlie Sykes of “The Bulwark” said: “Face it: Our democratic system is broken. Faced with endless mass shootings and daily gun carnage, a nation that once put men on the moon is mired in paralysis and ‘hoplessness.’ An America that won’t act to stop the periodic slaughter of schoolchildren is ‘in crisis, perhaps in terminal decline.’”

As a Baby Boomer who grew up during the turbulence of the 60s, I agree and wonder. I thought America was on the edge of the abyss in the sixties, but shootings in churches, schools, malls, supermarkets, at outdoor concerts and simply in the streets of American cities like Philadelphia and Chicago is extreme, even for me. I am similarly appalled that the young girls of today are facing the same struggle for the right to determine what happens to their own bodies that my generation faced in my youth, which led to the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973.

First, I am reprinting the words of newspapers in Sydney (Australia), Paris (“Le Monde”) and Japan, to show you what the rest of the world thinks about the United States of America. The headline was “America Allows the Massacre of Children.”

Visual search query image

“The indiscriminate slaughter of young children should bring a country together in mourning,” said “The Times” (U.K.) in an editorial. That’s why mass shootings in Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and elsewhere inspired prompt reform of those countries’ gun laws, with Canada banning ownership of handguns in the past few days. Take the 1987 Hungerford massacre in Britain, when an armed man cut down 16 people before killing himself. After that senseless horror, the U.K. banned nearly all semiautomatic and pump-action rifles and shotguns, as well as exploding ammunition. Plenty of Brits still own guns, half a million in England and Wales alone. Yet because they require licensing and background checks, which include examining applicants’ social media, only 4% of British homicides involve guns, and the overall homicide rate is 1/5 that of America’s. The U.S., though, claims there is nothing it can do—even as mass shootings proliferate, even as, last week, a young man shot to death 19 children and 2 teachers in an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school; even as last month a white supremacist killed 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store. In the U.S., such shootings don’t bring national soul-searching, but bickering and hand-wringing.

It’s the guns: More guns mean more homicides, said Meret Baumann in Switzerland. Most rich countries, including Japan, Australia and almost all of Europe—have gun control and boast homicide rates of less than 1.5 per 100,000 some even less than 1. America’s rate is approaching 8, worse than Niger, Pakistan, and Myanmar. The U.S., in fact, has a frightening 120 firearms for every 100 people “more than any other country” and the Texas gunman was able to legally buy an AR-style rifle and almost 400 rounds of ammunition with no training the very day after his 18^th birthday. That single fact “should set off alarm bells, but such behavior is not questioned in the U.S.”

Why can’t America be more like Australia? asked the “Sydney Morning Herald” in an editorial. We, too, are a rugged settler nation, and many Aussies in the Outback were devoted to their weapons. But after a gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur in 1996, they “cracked down on gun ownership,” outlawing some weapons and mandating licensing and background checks. Aussies eagerly turned in thousands of guns in our buyback program, and our risk of dying by gunfire quickly fell by more than half.

Yet the U.S. remains “trapped in its madness,” said “Le Monde” (France) in an editorial. “America is killing itself” and he Republican Party is “ideologically complicit.” Because the GOP is in thrall to the gun lobby, and because the antiquated U.S. system of representation gives disproportionate weight to Senators from less-populated, Republican-led states, the American people can’t vote their way out of their nightmare.

After the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, most Americans wanted at least background checks for gun buyers. But “elected officials representing 118 million of their fellow citizens were able to defeat those chosen by 194 million.” U.S. schools will surely continue to be “transformed into bloody shooting ranges, sticky with blood.”

That is the true “American exceptionalism.”

Blog Dark for Five Days: Apologies to All

On June 10, 2022

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Television

“Weekly Wilson” has been dark for 5 days, as you may have noticed if you are a regular reader.

My computer assistant, Allison, spent THREE HOURS on the phone with them, beginning on or about the 6th or 7th and they claimed to have “fixed” the problem. They told her it “might take a few days” to resolve, but it would be back up.

They lied.

This happened before, and I used Jennifer Lopez to draw eyes to the blog on December 1, 2021, when it went offline for a matter of days, and I looked further back and determined that it also happened in September, 2021, so, every 3 to 4 months, GoDaddy lets my blog go dark and then one or both of us have to spend hours on the phone trying to get it back “up.” I pointed out that MANY people work from home via computer these days, and that going “dark” for a week 3 times in one year is a lot, IMHO.

If any of you truly “tekky” people out there want to suggest other services that might have been able to get the blog up in, oh, say, a day, rather than five to seven days, I’d be interested in hearing the names of such services, since I am a person who was using a land line to call them and refuses to text on a cell phone.

I had been posting almost daily, as you may also have noticed, and I had a very good piece prepared about the Uvelde shootings. Perhaps I will run it tomorrow, as it is now after 1 a.m. and, as I told the technician I finally got (Jennifer, who succeeded someone with an unpronouncable Indian name) “I need this s*** like I need another hole in my head.” This is the truth.

Me, Craig and best friend Pam in “the good old days” on campus in Iowa City.

So, am having so many bad side effectswithout further ado and with apologies, I offer up (again) Jennifer Lopez in her jungle dress, which has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, but might draw your eyes to the blog. I spent an extra long time today being radiated (we jumped immediately to “the boost” because I am having so many bad side effects ) and then I went to the Toyota dealership and got red paint for a dent someone put in my brand new Prius. I had no red paint for the 20th Anniversary Prius, but John at the Toyota dealership ordered me some and then he actually came out and put it on the dent. (Thanks, John!)

Now THAT’s what I call “customer service.”

If I sound frustrated, fed up and less than patient, you have hit all three nails on the head, and I’ll move on tomorrow to post my piece on Uvalde (which is really highlights from around the world on what OTHER countries have had to say about gun violence in America) and to comment on last night’s first airing of the January 6 Commission hearings, which was riveting, historic television.

I never thought I would ever have very positive things to say about someone whose surname is “Cheney” but I have to admit that Liz has done her nation proud, and it is just too bad that the rest of the GOP are people like that Hawley dude from Missouri and Ted Cruz.

The January 6th Committee Hearings Hit the Air Waves Thursday, 6/9, at 7 p.m. (CDT)

On June 5, 2022

In Editorial, Education, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Pop Culture, Television

Trump/Cheney/McCarthy

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot released new details Thursday about its first hearing, scheduled to kick off in prime time on Thursday, June 9.

June 9th, television-watchers, is this coming Thursday (as I write this on Sunday, 6/5) and the timing for those of us in the Midwest on MSNBC, Channel 356, will be 7 p.m. CDT.

“The committee will present previously unseen material documenting January 6th, receive witness testimony, preview additional hearings, and provide the American people a summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power,” the panel said.

Additional information about witnesses will be released this coming week, the committee said.

The hearing, scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET, is expected to focus on former President Donald Trump’s role in the violence that unfolded at the Capitol during the official counting of the Electoral College votes before a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. In a civil court filing in March, the House committee argued it has “a good-faith basis for concluding that [Trump] and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

The panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has said the hearings will include testimony from witnesses “we’ve not heard from before.”

One of those witnesses, who was hauled off a plane in leg irons as a flight risk, may be Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s inner circle who was among the most obnoxious spokespeople ever to grace the air waves. Navarro emerged as a legend in his own mind, moving away from the trade issues he was supposed to be expert in, to talk about matters as diverse as Covid-19 and the economy. Where he was supposedly going when apprehended at the airport has been variously reported as Nashville, but apparently those in a position of power had misgivings about his attitude towards telling the truth about his involvement in the January 6th coup d’etat.

There is a rumor that Jared and Ivanka Trump may take center stage via video-taped testimony during the televised hearings, although we will all have to wait and see if they say anything of note. Rachael Maddow and others will be handling the broadcast duties Thursday night.

Meanwhile, a lot of buzz has been created by a comedy duo who took the microphone during the NRA’s ill-advised Texas convention and more-or-less chastised the NRA for getting a lot of us killed by opposing sensible gun control laws. (The look on Wayne LaPierre’s face as they sound off on ” how Wayne LaPierre has offered thoughts AND prayers” is priceless. Check it out on YouTube or wherever you seek out memorable news moments.)

“The Man Who Fell to Earth” Is Spectacular Showtime Series

On June 4, 2022

In Editorial, Local, Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

It is Saturday, June 4th, and I am pondering what late-night viewing I will watch as my spouse slumbers beside me.

Usually, I scroll through the movies, but recently I have been watching “The Man Who Fell to Earth” on Showtime.

They premiered “The Man Who Fell to Earth” at SXSW in Austin and I signed up to go, but they were showing it within the Convention Center. I have learned (the hard way) that getting to and from the Convention Center during SXSW is no day at the beach. They barricade off the area, so a cab is not an option and the last few times I journeyed down there when SXSW was actually underway I had to hire a pedicab guy to make it from the panel I wanted to hear (horror movies from Bloomhouse Pictures) to the Paramount for the afternoon showing.

So, sadly, I missed the SXSW premiere of this new series, led by Jenny Lumet (daughter of Sidney) but I was impressed by her former series that originated with the “Silence of the Lambs” film and agent Clarice Starling. Here is what IMDB tells us about Jenny Lumet: Jenny Lumet was born on February 2, 1967 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Rachel Getting Married (2008), The Mummy (2017) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022). She has been married to Alexander Weinstein since May 2, 2007. They have one child. She was previously married to Bobby Cannavale.

IMDB also gives us this Jenny Lumet quote about writing, in general: “I suppose that there are writers that say, ‘I write what I write and if people get it, great, if they don’t, whatever.’ “But I don’t feel that way. I feel very passionate about making connections with people. I want very much to be heard.”

With “The Man Who Fell to Earth” the writers (Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman) have revamped a movie from 1976 that originally starred David Bowie. I still remember sitting in the darkened theater marveling at how well David Bowie fit the role of an alien.

Here are the actors involved in the series:

Chiwetel Ejiofor

as Faraday

Naomie Harris

as Justin Falls

Annelle Olaleye

as Molly Falls

Clarke Peters

as Josiah Falls

Bill Nighy

as Thomas Newton

Jimmi Simpson

as Spencer Clay

Sonya Cassidy

as Edie Flood

Joana Ribeiro

as Lisa Dominguez

Kate Mulgrew

as Drew Finch

Rob Delaney

as Hatch Flood

As you look over the pictures above, you may know that Chiwetel Ejiofor is better-known to U.S. audiences for his role in “Twelve Years A Slave” where he portrayed Solomon Northrup. He was Oscar-nominated for that role and he is astounding in this role. One of the chief aspects of this visitor from another planet is that he consumes voluminous amounts of water and has encased himself in what he calls “a skin suit” to better blend in and resemble humans.

Naomie Harris was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2017’s “Moonlight,” but has appeared in both “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” in 2021 and as Moneypenny in 2021’s “No Time to Die.”

Clarke Peters portrays Jusin Falls’ (Naomie Harris’) father and her daughter is portrayed by Annelle Olalaye. Both are good, but kudos to the leads: Ejiofor and Harris.

Another recognizable face was that of Jimmi Simpson as Spencer Clay. At first, I could not place where I knew him from, until I thought back to his many appearances on “West World” as William from 2016 to 2020.

Bill Nighy as Thomas Newton, the scientist who left behind plans that could save not only a foreign planet but our own planet was also a recognizable actor from his appearance in “Love, Actually.”

This is a thinking man’s series and it helps if you pay close attention to the discussions of theoretical physics and our own world’s chance of being destroyed by the year 2030 by the same sorts of crises that afflict that of our hero, who has journeyed to Earth to try to save his own planet and his own countrymen.

The special effects are, well, special—one could justifiably say “spectacular”—and the acting is great. I look forward to each new episode each night and recommend that you sample it, if you want to find a good new series.

Johnny Depp Wins in Court Trial