Category: Hulu

The Testaments Series Review

Art has an amazing way of revealing the beauty and flaws of humanity.

The new Hulu series, The Testaments, is based on the book of the same name by Margaret Atwood. A few years after the events in The Handmaid’s Tale, Agnes (Chase Infiniti) is a teenage girl growing up in Gilead. As the daughter of a commander, she is at the top of the food chain. But she is still a female in a society where women have no rights and have their future laid out before they can even know what they want.

She is a student at a school led by Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd). At the start of the series, Agnes is called into the office. Aunt Lydia has asked her to help a new student, Daisy (Lucy Halliday), get comfortable in her surroundings. Neither girl has any idea how much this request will change the course of their lives.

Only three of the ten episodes have been released so far. That is all I need. It is a coming-of-age story set against a ruthless and sexist religious autocracy that will stop at nothing to maintain order and keep everyone (females specifically) in their place. In short, it is a tale that feels extremely timely and important.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

New episodes of The Testaments are released on Hulu every Wednesday.

Throwback Thursday: The Invisible Woman (2013)

It sometimes amazes me how one relationship can change the course of our life.

The 2013 film, The Invisible Woman, is based on the book of the same name by Claire Tomalin. Ellen Ternan (Felicity Jones) is a young actress who is having an affair with the much older and very married Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes, who also served as director). Though she is in love, Ellen is very aware that she is the other woman and the capriciousness of their relationship.

I enjoyed this movie. Both Fiennes and Jones are electric. Despite knowing that they should not be together, there is a chemistry and a connection that cannot be ignored.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The Invisible Woman is available for streaming on Hulu.

The Faithful Mini Series Review

For every two or three men whose stories are told in the Bible, there is one woman who is given a sliver of a tale.

The television miniseries, The Faithful, fleshes out the stories of the Matriarchs, giving them the spotlight without relying on the men in their lives. Sarah (Minnie Driver) has been told that she will bear a child. She wants to believe that it will happen. But age and infertility have taken a toll on her.

Her Egyptian maid servant, Hagar (Natacha Karam), has agreed to carry the child Sarah believes will never arrive. What starts as a simple pact becomes complicated as the years wear on. Rebekah (Alexa Davalos) has twin sons. According to local custom, the firstborn (simply because he entered the world before his siblings) will one day inherit. But she has been told that it is the younger son who will take over his father’s role as leader of their people.

Leah (Millie Brady) and Rachel (Blu Hunt) are sisters. Tricked by their father, Leah marries Rachel’s betrothed in her stead. Rachel must wait to marry her beloved.

I have enjoyed the series so far. Driver described the stories as Shakespearean in nature, and I couldn’t agree more. It is a family drama with all of the overtones of being human. Instead of focusing on one faith within the Abrahamic religions, all three are respectfully given their due within the narrative.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The final episodes of The Faithful air on Fox at 8 PM tonight. Previously aired episodes are available for streaming on Hulu.

Flashback Friday: 11.22.63 (2016)

The question of time travel is filled with both potential and pitfalls. If you could go back in time, what would you do? Would it be to undo a personal mistake or change the course of history?

The Hulu mini-series, 11.22.63, premiered in 2016. Based on a book by Stephen King, Jake Epping (James Franco) is a teacher who goes back in time to stop the assassination of JFK. It is supposed (note the keyword) to be a straightforward mission. But as usual, it does not go as planned.

Having never read the book, I cannot say for certain how it compares to its small-screen counterpart. The idea of the story is extremely tempting. The problem is that I was just plain bored.

Do I recommend it? No.

11.22.63 is available for streaming on Netflix.

RIP Nicholas Brendon

Speaking of, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale was nixed by Hulu. At the very least, let the fans decide whether the sequel holds up. Why should one male exec (who reportedly never watched the show and made it clear that it was not his taste) decide for a loyal group of viewers who have been clamoring for an update for decades?

Happy Friday.

May Brendon’s memory be a blessing. Z”l.

Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Book Review

Behind every fairy tale is a real couple dealing with everyday issues.

Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, by Elizabeth Beller, was published in 2024. It is the basis of the FX/Hulu series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Born to a middle-class family, she worked in the fashion industry before marrying into American political royalty. But her life as a Kennedy was not all sunshine and roses.

Forced into the national limelight, Carolyn was unused to being in the public eye. Hounded by the press, many of the accusations (both then and now) that were hurled her way were led by sexism and misogyny. The author portrays her subject as an intelligent and caring woman who was far from the caricature that the press made her out to be.

I enjoyed this book. Beller gives voice to a person who was taken from us too soon and who never had the opportunity to speak for herself.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy is available wherever books are sold.

In the Blink of an Eye Movie Review

The human experience is remarkably similar. Despite the many generations that have passed and the diverse cultures, we have more in common than we think we do.

In the Blink of an Eye was recently released on Hulu. The story has three concurrent timelines: a neanderthal family, scientist Claire (Rashida Jones), her husband Greg (Daveed Diggs) and their clan, and Coakley (Kate McKinnon), an astronaut thousands of years into the future.

I enjoyed this film. The screenwriter allows each narrative to live on its own while comfortably entwining with the others. Among the lead actors, McKinnon stands out. Though she may be well known for her more comedic roles, she has proven her worth in this movie as a dramatic actor.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

In the Blink of an Eye is available for streaming on Hulu.

Ella McCay Movie Review

The work-life balance is all about choices. How does a person do their job while making sure that their loved ones are taken care of?

Ella McCay was released into movie theaters last year. The titular character (Emma Mackey) is a politician who is trying to do her job while dealing with family drama. With her mother, Claire (Rebecca Hall), deceased, and her father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson), out of the picture, she turns to her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) for support.

The reviews about this film are not wrong. On the surface, it has appeal. But it only takes a few minutes before that fades fast. Not even the well-respected cast can overcome the poorly written screenplay.

Do I recommend it? No.

Ella McCay is available for streaming on Hulu.

 Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette Review

Though America has no official royal family, the Kennedys are up there in the minds of the public.

The new F/X/Hulu series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette premiered last night. Helmed by Ryan Murphy, this 9-part limited series follows the romance, marriage, and untimely death of its titular characters. It is based on the book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, by Elizabeth Beller. In the 1990s, Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) was a rising executive in the fashion industry. Kennedy (Paul Anthony Kelly) is trying to find himself both within and outside the confines of the family he was born into.

Though the bond of love remains, the pressure of being in the limelight takes its toll.

Three of the 9 episodes have been released so far, and I am already intrigued. Kelly and Pidgeon have incredible chemistry. What the series smartly does is go behind the headlines and the media portrayal of the couple back then. In addition, the late Jackie Kennedy (Naomi Watts) is more than a former FLOTUS and a few basic biographical facts. She is a concerned mother who sees that her son is flailing, personally and professionally.

What I find to be most interesting is that this is Kelly’s first role. Quite a way to start a career.

The first three episodes of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette are available for streaming on Hulu. The next six will air on F/X on Thursday at 9pm.

The Dropout Miniseries Review

When working toward a goal of some sort, there is nothing wrong with putting it all on the line. However, one must consider the big picture, not just the vision of the final outcome.

The Dropout was a Hulu mini-series that was released in 2022. It is based on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried), the founder of Theranos. The device she created was supposed to take a minimal amount of blood and use it to diagnose a litany of illnesses, promising to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Instead, Holmes and her COO/boyfriend, Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews), were found guilty of fraud and sentenced to jail time.

I don’t think either Holmes or Balwani was inherently evil. They were simply ambitious while ignoring the warning signs that the machine was not quite ready for use as promised. Both Seyfried and Andrews were well cast. Seyfried, specifically, gets Holmes’s voice right. Andrew’s Balwani was believed to be the voice of reason. Instead, he was as blind as she was.

What has stayed with me (as noted in the postscript) is that her actions damaged the potential career paths for other women in tech. Instead of opening doors and creating another crack in the glass ceiling, the opposite occurred.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The Dropout is available for viewing on Hulu.

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