Streamed & Screened: Movie and TV Reviews and Interviews

Things had been relatively quiet, but there are now plenty of options coming to streaming services and in theaters, especially as we get closer to the summer movie season.

In this week's episode, co-host Bruce Miller shares an interview he had with Quinn Shephard and Samir Mehta, producers of "Under the Bridge," a new limited series on Hulu staring Lily Gladstone. It's the first big project for Gladstone, fresh off her Oscar nomination for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

Also on Hulu is a new four-part documentary called, "Thank You Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story." The series looks at the history of the band and includes interviews with Jon Bon Jovi, current and former band members, and Bruce Springsteen. Co-host Terry Lipshetz, who grew up in Jon Bon Jovi's hometown of Sayreville, New Jersey, shares some fun facts including a Star Wars connection.

Another new series is the Amazon Freevee comedy "Dinner with the Parents." The cast includes Carol Kane and Henry Hall, who is the son of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall.

And the show wraps with a discussion of the buzz surround "Civil War," the new film where the nation has fractured and a team of journalists is covering the war. Kirsten Dunst stars as a photojournalist and Nick Offerman plays the president. And of course, there's Dunst's husband Jesse Plemons stealing the show in an uncredited role.

Contact us!

Dev Patel's breakthrough as an actor came in "Slumdog Millionaire." He now gets a chance to make his mark as a director with the new action film "Monkey Man" that was also produced by Jordan Peele, another actor-turned-director.

Patel is the latest in a long line of actors that have made the jump into directing. We look at many of the notable actors who have moved behind the camera. In some cases like Warren Beatty, their clout as an actor can help passion projects get made. Clint Eastwood has been a successful evertything, earning acclaim as both an actor and director. Ron Howard left acting to focus on directing. Greta Gerwig and Jon Favreau have both had solid acting careers, often in supporting roles, but have found their footing as writers and directors. 

Besides Patel, John Krasinksi, Jerry Seinfeld and Kevin Costner are among the actors with directing efforts on the way.

Co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz talk about the history of actors who have become directors and review some of the success stories.

Contact us!

You can't escape artificial intelligence these days. From Chat GPT to debates over the use of A.I. to bring deceased actors back into movies or de-age older characters like Harrison Ford in the most recent "Indiana Jones" movie, the technology is here to stay.

What do you think of when A.I. comes to mind? What would you do with it when it comes to the entertainment in your life? In this week's episode, co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz talk about A.I. in movies in TV, and how it could be used in the future as a pair of new shows on the topic: “A.I. Revolution” and a “A Brief History of the Future” drop for viewers.

The program then moves into the 1960s pop act The Cowsills and Miller's recent interview with Bob Cowsill, which includes a discussion of the link between the band and The Partridge Family.

Contact us!

Jim Henson may have died in 1990, but his memory lives on through a variety of projects, whether it's "The Muppets," "Sesame Street" or the work done through Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

Another popular Henson creation, "Fraggle Rock" is again, this time with the second season of  "Fraggle Rock" Back to the Rock" dropping March 29 on Apple TV+.

Co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz discuss the series, share an interview with three people behind the program and discuss the Henson legacy. Also, we share an interview Bruce had with Cookie Monster several years ago. 

Contact us!

We are past the Oscars, which means it's time to turn our attention to what's new and coming soon. And there are a lot of options available.

Up first, we have an interview with Jonathan Sanger, producer of the new film "Cabrini," which is drawing solid reviews from critics and moviegoers alike.

We also catch up with correspondent Miles O'Brien, who talks about the new PBS documentary "NOVA: A.I. Revolution," and what advancements in medicine helped him after he had to have an arm amputed.

Also up for discussion: A very Nebraska-centric teen comedy called "Snack Shack" that should resonate with Gen Xers growing up in the early 1990s. There is also a new program for Apple TV+ starring Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett and Ricky Martin called "Palm Royale" that debuted March 20.

The 94th Academy Awards capped off a huge year for Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" as it won best pitcture, best director (Nolan), best actor (Cillian Murphy), best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.) plus three more for seven total Oscars.

But two other films that were expected to be the biggest challengers fell flat, with "Barbie" and "Killers of the Flower Moon" combining for a single Oscar.

In this special episode of Streamed & Screened, Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz break down the surprises and snubs, talk about host Jimmy Kimmel and the pacing of the show, and even take a slight glance ahead to next year.

94TH ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS

BEST PICTURE

“Oppenheimer”

BEST ACTRESS

Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

BEST ACTOR

Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

DIRECTOR

Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

SOUND

“The Zone of Interest,” Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

ORIGINAL SCORE

“Oppenheimer,” Ludwig Göransson

ORIGINAL SONG

“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”

VISUAL EFFECTS

“Godzilla Minus One”

FILM EDITING

“Oppenheimer,” Jennifer Lame

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

“The Last Repair Shop”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“20 Days in Mariupol”

CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Oppenheimer,” Hoyte Van Hoytema

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

“WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”

ANIMATED FILM

“The Boy and the Heron”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet and Arthur Harari

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Poor Things,” Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston

PRODUCTION DESIGN

“Poor Things,” James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek

COSTUME DESIGN

“Poor Things,” Holly Waddington

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

“The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom)

Contact us!

On Sunday, an awards season that lumbers to the finish line after 9 months of "Barbenheimer" discussion is expected to end with Christopher Nolan's atomic epic "Oppenheimer" crushing the competition. But will it?

"Queens" isn't the typical wildlife documentary from National Geographic. This time, a female-led company produced a series that focuses on "female power in the natural world."

With the two Hollywood strikes in the rearview mirror, there are a lot of new programs to keep us entertained.

The latest limited series from FX, which will also stream on Hulu, is "Shōgun," which is based on the 1975 novel that was also turned into a 1980 miniseries. This week, co-host Bruce Miller talks with Cosmo Jarvis, who stars in the series.

After that, co-host Terry Lipshetz shares his thoughts on three programs: "Masters of the Air" from Apple TV+ and "True Detective: Night Country" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on HBO.

"Masters of the Air" is the latest World War II epic limited series from Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, who previously brought us "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" and does not disappoint.

"True Detective: Night Country" is the fourth installment in the "True Detective" anthology series that has been a bit uneven at times, particularly season 2. But the latest season, which stars Jodie Foster and Kalie Reis, is a bit tighter with only six episodes and leaves you guessing until the end.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" recently returned for its 12th and final season. How will Larry David wrap up a show that has stretched nearly a quarter century?

Contact us!

Call it a working vacation. Bruce Miller is back from Los Angeles after a gathering for the Television Critics Association. The journey took him to a variety of sets, including "Abbott Elementary," "9/11" and "Night Court."

Miller shares his experience singing a duet with Jennifer Hudson — yes, that Jennifer Hudson — as well an an interview with Montana Jordan, who plays George "Georgie" Cooper Jr. We include some of that interview with Jordan, who talks about the role and future of the character.

Clarification

In talking about singer Bobi Wine, the subject of the documentary "Bobi Wine: The People's President," co-host Terry Lipshetz mentioned other musicians who entered into politics. Singer Youssou N'Dour was the former Minister of Tourism for his native Senegal. Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett served in a variety of government roles after being elected as a member of Australia's parliament.

Contact us!