The Rest - May 7, 2023

"...My eyes are circles."

A quick wrap-up of everything else I watched this week.

Abbott Elementary, the rest of Season 2 (2023) - The season ended strong with some romantic sparks and a fight for public school values. Quinta Brunson is running the best sitcom on TV right now and I hope the WGA strike is resolved quickly (in the writer's favor, of course) so they can get back to penning season 3.

Evil Dead Rise (2023) - It's significantly more traditional than the original Sam Raimi trilogy, but there are some solid scares, a fair amount of practical effects and a wonderful cast - especially Alyssa Sutherland, who manages to bring a level of pathos and humor to the role of a possessed mom that could easily have been one-note. The themes of family and urban isolation also help. Certainly worth a watch if you're a fan of the franchise.

Hidari (2023) - I've been following Animist for a while now, but completely missed the Kickstarter for this stop-motion samurai project the animator is attached to. The feature is currently looking at a 2028 release, but you can watch the pilot film right now on YouTube.

Taskmaster, Series 7 (2018) - My source for the latest episodes has gone dark, so I defaulted this week to maybe my favorite series of the show. The quintet of James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Kerry Godliman, Phil Wang and Rhod Gilbert is unlike any other group the show has ever had, oscillating between funny and furious in such a delightful way. If you've never watched, it's a great starting point. You can find the whole series on the TM YouTube page.

To Have and Have Not (1944) - This week's Movie Club pick. It's sort of Casablanca by way of Hemingway... and just as sexy and matter-of-fact as you would expect. It was Lauren Bacall's first film and two things are clear immediately: she's a movie star and she and Humphrey Bogart are in love. I also didn't know anything about Martinique (in or out of WWII), so this was fun and educational.