There is still a lot to talk about even if the days are getting hotter (really hot for some of you) and attention stealing elements such as the World Cup, summer itself, vacations and Life make their move on us.
Starting with a positive, ensconced in the Portland Pied-à-Terre, I got Viewing Wife KB to watch the first “Baby Assassins” film with me, which brought great joy into the equation by sharing it and being able to say, “See, this is what I was talking/writing about!” Because the second film isn’t quite on the same level, reducing the action and fight choreography while leaning into the light, friendship “situation” between the two characters, I can’t be sure she’ll watch it, but she might just jump to the third. Sharing is caring, so that’s all that mattered. The film trilogy (and bonus television series), remains one of the best happy-making discoveries this year.
Film: The "Baby Assassins" Trilogy Finds Me.
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Jun 17
I have been circling the Japanese “Baby Assassins” trilogy of films longer than expected. Checking notes, the number of urgent entries about needing to watch it go back a long, long time. Clearly, I had seen something that was a direct hit to my brain
In more Film notes, we have tickets next week to see “The Odyssey” — in 70 mm! — at the beloved Hollywood Theatre in Portland. Part of me is always reluctant to see legit blockbusters, but we’re members at the Hollywood Theatre and I’m not going to turn down a Christopher Nolan film in 70 mm, so there’s more excitement in me than usual. Let’s see if it delivers.
This next note has been gurgling in agitation for several weeks now: Apple TV’s “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” is working my very last nerve as it heads, slowly, disappointedly, into its season finale next week. No spoilers, just this: While there’s much to like in the series, it’s the premise that is fatally flawed. Even the brilliant Tatiana Maslany, who works hard with what she’s given, can’t change the fact that she’s playing a character who makes consistently dumb decisions that nobody else would make. This happens all the time in Mid and Mid-Minus television series, and remains an historical flaw in screenwriting. A smart character does dumb things. Why? Because the plotting is bad (normally it’s the writing, but a good deal of the writing in “MPG” is actually solid). The issue here, like the woes of “Your Friends & Neighbors,” is that drama is created by illogical events. In “MPG,” Maslany’s character, desperate to prove her innocence, repeatedly fails to go to the police and takes matters foolishly into her own hands. Maddening is one word for it. Mostly the series has proven that it’s a waste of time.
Bonus annoyance: The weekly rollout, on episodes that rarely surpass 35 minutes, has completely hindered the experience.
You may have heard the Emmy nominations were (stifles yawn), announced the other day. I do not miss writing endlessly about this process, then the awards show itself, and the snubs, both in the nominating process and with the eventual winner. I doubt there is anything new, at this point, I could write about the process that I haven’t written multiple times previously. So without a rant, or 1,500 words of failure analysis, let me just focus on what I was
happypleased to see:“DTF St. Louis,” one of the best series this year (and deconstructed episode by episode in the “Spoilt” feature that can be found in the Archives), was nominated for Best Limited Series, with acting nominations going to Linda Cardellini, Joy Sunday, Jason Bateman, David Harbour, Richard Jenkins, plus series creator Steven Conrad got nods for directing and writing (super duh on the latter). That said, nothing is ever guaranteed with the Emmys, so I’m just happy this show got some much deserved credit.
There were others, particularly Elle Fanning, but I’m post-phase, post-Emmys at this point in life, so I’m going to limit myself to those nominations.
Elsewhere in TV, we’re three episodes into S2 of “The Bureau” and I can tell that’s going to be a huge focus for me, daily. In case you missed the write-up:
As others have noted in a lively comments section on that “Bureau” post, other series on Paramount+ that I’m interested in checking out are “Lioness,” “Mobland” and “A Gentleman In Moscow.” If you get the streamer and have other endorsements, drop them in the comments.
This is the perfect place to note that I’ve updated the Watch(This)List section to include new recommended Film & TV, including the recently posted trifecta of columns about where things stand at the midway point, qualitatively, for 2026. You can access that on the Home Page of the online site. Or just click these:
Welcome newcomers: There has been a pleasantly surprising number of people taking advantage of the limited time paid subscription sale and to all of those folks, I will remind you that you now have access to the Archives, which has a rich and useful amount of content to explore. While the Watch(This)List makes it easy to find recommendations on excellent series to watch without Meander Sampling your life away, the Archives have numerous series you may not have heard of that are worth watching, plus a lot of thematic, curated coverage of Film & TV that doesn’t go stale.
And if you’re not yet someone who has taken advantage of the Times Are Tough Summer Sale, check it out here:
Meanwhile, there’s still more World Cup to indulge in, some Summer Vibes to inhale, multiple films to watch and (looks at list of shows to watch), oh, shit, wow. Yeah. Those.
Do something good for yourself over the weekend. Love to your mothers.
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