2021-07-17 02:19
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 186, in which I consider the history, implications, and possibilities of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series debuting on Apple TV+ this Septembe… Read More
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reviewing 12 Monkeys, American Crime, Billions, Black Sails, Bloodline, Bones, Bosch, Colony, Deutschland 83, Fargo, Fear TWD, Game of Thrones, Hell on Wheels, Homeland, House of Cards, Humans, Marseille, Masters of Sex, Mr. Robot, Peaky Blinders, Outlander, Ray Donovan, Rectify, The: Affair, Americans, Girlfriend Experience, Man in the High Castle, Walking Dead; Tyrant, Vikings +movies, music, politicsGeorge Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.
2021-07-12 03:31
Checking in with a quick review of Professor T, a British version of a Belgian TV series which debuted on PBS tonight. It's quite good. An idiosyncratic professor of criminology… Read More
2021-07-11 20:01
The wife and I binged Virgin River 3, just up on Netflix. We really enjoyed it, which is to say, we got totally caught up in the romance, the heartbreak, the roller-coaster ride of soa… Read More
2021-07-08 21:45
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 185, in which I review The Tomorrow War. So, I saw today in The Hollywood Reporter that The Tomorrow War has been picked up for… Read More
2021-07-07 20:44
I offer 24 seconds about the impact of social media. Listen to the entire 23-minute interview here. Also in this interview: Mary Ellen Slater, Elena Valentine, Benjamin O'Keefe, Sven… Read More
2021-07-05 22:24
I saw The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime Video late last night. Some myopic critics gave it mixed reviews. I thought it was just excellent. And not because of the time travel… Read More
2021-07-05 03:12
It's the theme song of Bosch (written by Jesse Nolan, performed by Caught a Ghost) because it's the story of Bosch's professional life. It's animated every season in this best cop drama ever… Read More
2021-07-02 21:40
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 184, in which I review The Rain. Blog post review of The Rain Check out this episode! Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2021-07-01 01:18
Robbie Rist + Don Frankel = Sundial SymphonyThat's right -- starting at 4 minutes 54 seconds into the first hour of today's Music Authority program, you'll hear Sundial Symphony singing "Mer… Read More
2021-06-28 00:23
So, I watched all three seasons of The Rain on Netflix 2018-2020, and see that I somehow never got around to reviewing it at the time. I'll make up for that now.The Rain is a Danish sc… Read More
2021-06-24 20:51
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 183, in which I discuss the importance of the Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. US Supreme Court decision yesterday, which found that a hig… Read More
2021-06-23 16:48
A very important and precedent-setting ruling came down this morning from the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 8-1 that the Mahoney Area School District in Pennsylvania was wrong to try… Read More
2021-06-22 21:43
My wife and I binged all eight episodes of Katla, which debuted on Netflix just a few days ago. It's Icelandic, and billed as mystery, drama, and science fiction. I'd say it's de… Read More
2021-06-19 18:41
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 182, in which I interview Jay Kensinger about "The Chronology Protection Case," the short film he made (now on Amazon Prime) from from my 1995 Nebu… Read More
2021-06-15 05:26
My wife and I just saw In the Heights, the Jon Chu movie on HBO Max, based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical play. We loved it. It's a righteous joy of a movie, symbolizing ev… Read More
2021-06-13 18:07
Pleased to announce that my Light On Light Through podcast has been listed in Welp Magazine's 20 Best Concerts article. Read all about it here (scroll a little down).And here are… Read More
2021-06-12 18:19
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 181, in which "Captain" Phil Merkel interviews me about the recent solar eclipse, politics, Phil Ochs, online learning, origin of Covid, defense of… Read More
2021-06-06 03:14
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 180, in which I review The Mosquito Coast, Season One. Blogpost written reviews: #s1-2: Edgy, Attractive, Enlightened, Important #3: Broade… Read More
2021-06-05 16:16
So, I've saying here in these reviews of The Mosquito Coast all season that Charlie's gun would play a major, decisive role, and Margot would reach the breaking point with Allie's wild ideas… Read More
2021-06-04 19:04
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 179, in which I review Mare of Easttown. Blogpost written review: Jude the Obscure Near Philadelphia Check out this episode! Paul Levi… Read More
2021-05-31 19:27
Mare of Easttown concluded on HBO last night. One downer of a mini-series, brilliantly acted, but with resolutions so sombre it could have been Jude the Obscure near Philadelphia.The u… Read More
2021-05-29 17:54
An action-packed penultimate episode 1.6 of The Mosquito Coast up on Apple TV+ yesterday, with [spoilers ahead]Bill Lee killing Agent Voorhees and one of his little helpers killing Agent Jon… Read More
2021-05-27 22:16
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 178, in which I review Debris, season one. Blogpost written reviews: Debris 1.1 Debris 1.2 Debris 1.3 Debris 1.4 Debris 1.5 Debris 1.6… Read More
2021-05-25 03:38
Well, I and many others have been saying how reminiscent Debris is of Fringe, and sure enough, in tonight's season one finale, John Noble shows up as maybe the head of Influx, certainly at l… Read More
2021-05-24 21:21
My wife and I finished watching Atlantic Crossing on PBS last night -- episode by episode, week after week, the old-fashioned non-streaming way. We both really enjoyed it, and, I have… Read More
2021-05-23 16:23
So, I thought the most significant scene in The Mosquito Coast 1.5 was, again, Charlie and the gun. This time he does pull out his gun, and points it at the Mexican guy who is making f… Read More
2021-05-22 04:38
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 177, in which I review The Nevers, Part I (episodes 1.1 through 1.6) Blogpost written reviews: The Nevers 1.1: Never Say Never The Ne… Read More
2021-05-18 04:13
Well, the next-to-last episode of this season of Debris -- still not renewed by NBC for a second season -- was surprising for a penultimate episode of any season of any series that's not a s… Read More
2021-05-18 00:46
I thought the most significant part of The Mosquito Coast 1.4 on Apple TV+ was Gabriel and his hand on the gun.He came very close to using it in defense of his father. His family doesn… Read More
2021-05-17 05:37
Well, I really enjoyed The Nevers 1.6, and only regret that I won't be able to see episode 1.7 next week, because 1.6 was the finale of the first part of the first season, and who knows when… Read More
The Girlfriend Experience 3.4: Ć¢ā¬ÅThere Is Clarity In Realizing What IsnĆ¢ā¬ā¢t WorkingĆ¢ā¬Ā
2021-05-17 03:37
An excellent episode 3.4 of The Girlfriend Experience, with an excellent quote from a researcher that tells us at least what part of the series is really about: “There is cl… Read More
2021-05-15 05:04
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 176, in which I review a short film that I first saw in May 2020, and its Director's "Noir" Cut that I saw yesterday, May 14, 2021: Decades Apart b… Read More
2021-05-13 18:00
Hey, it's rare that I review a 20+ minute movie, and even more rare (as in never before) a "Director's Cut" of a movie I've reviewed before. But I can almost never resist a time-travel… Read More
2021-05-11 04:43
I didn't get a chance to review last week's episode of Debris -- 1.10 -- who knows, maybe I came into contact with some Debris on this side of the screen and I lost some time. It was t… Read More
2021-05-11 03:24
All kinds of good lines in last night's The Nevers 1.5, but my favorite was Maladie's "mindful of the roses". Maybe because it reminded me of that great, haunting song by the Jaynetts (from… Read More
2021-05-10 05:43
The Girlfriend Experience 3.3 on earlier tonight on Starz is entitled "Deep Fake" -- a good name for this episode and for the series in general, because:1. The very essence of the girlfriend… Read More
2021-05-08 04:22
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 175, in which I review Stowaway. blogpost review: Stowaway: Breathless Realism See also The Missing Orientation Che… Read More
2021-05-08 00:58
As I said last week in my review of the first two episodes of The Mosquito Coast, one of its most attractive and important features is the picture it provides about life on the southern bord… Read More
2021-05-06 20:03
I caught Stowaway last night, up on Netflix since the end of April. I liked it a lot, even though I don't like unhappy endings in space travel dramas, however realistic they may… Read More
2021-05-05 14:52
Well, The Girlfriend Experience is back on Starz for a third season, and of course I had to watch it. Not for the reasons you think. Well, maybe it is for those reasons, though I… Read More
2021-05-04 03:51
So, who was Mary singing about? Who needs to be found in the darkness, as the translation of Mary's last song, her interrupted song, calls out for at the end of last night's episode 1… Read More
2021-05-02 23:59
I caught the first two episodes of The Mosquito Coast, up on Apple TV+ on Friday, April 30. In a word: superb!I suppose its closest streaming cousin these days is Ozark on Netflix.&nbs&hell…Read More
2021-05-02 04:20
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 174, in which I review, re-view, re-vu Tenet. Check out this episode! Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music Read More
2021-05-02 04:20
Well, I -- at last -- just saw Christopher Nolan's Tenet (on HBO). It was an excellent, sometimes seminal, time travel movie -- in particular, time reversal -- but not without its… Read More
2021-04-29 23:07
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 173, in which "Captain" Phil Merkel interviews me about Joe Biden's speech to Congress last night, and how likely it is that Republicans in Congres… Read More
2021-04-28 03:38
Well, it took lucky episode #1.13 of Big Sky tonight to see Ronald -- whom I now think of as demented John Denver -- back to his old tricks. In plain English, killing someone, with all… Read More
2021-04-27 18:57
I saw Truth Be Told on Apple TV+ over the past few nights. It received a lukewarm response from critics but was much enjoyed by the general public. I'm with the general public on… Read More
2021-04-27 03:52
Whoah -- a brilliant game-shaking episode 1.9 of Debris on NBC tonight, in which the piece of said Debris shifts those who come into its presence into alternate realities. That is, wha… Read More
2021-04-26 05:17
A really powerful, touching, terribly beautiful and instructive episode 1.3 of The Nevers on HBO tonight.I was thinking, as Mary was singing in the park tonight, her voice amplified by some… Read More
2021-04-24 03:47
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 172, in which I review For All Mankind (Episodes 2.2-29) on Apple TV+. Blog post reviews of these episodes: For All Mankind 2.2: The Peanut Butter… Read More
2021-04-23 07:43
Well, the season 2 finale of For All Mankind, just up on Apple TV+, was about as good as it gets. Which is about as good as any science fiction space travel alternate history story can… Read More
2021-04-22 22:22
Just chiming in here to say what I liked most and least in this past Sunday's excellent episode 1.2 of The Nevers on HBO.What I liked most: The focus on the power or "turn" of Mary, wh… Read More
2021-04-22 04:38
Well, that was my favorite scene in last night's Big Sky 1.12, when U. S. Marshall Lindor chooses the sheriff before the offered butterscotch candy, and therein springs Cassie from the sheri… Read More
2021-04-21 02:13
Today will be recorded in history as a great day for Black Live Matter and American jurisprudence: former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts. Chauv… Read More
2021-04-20 03:56
Well, Debris finally cashed in tonight -- ok, this was only the 8th episode, so maybe "finally" is a bit harsh, but it's seemed like a long time -- on the promise (or threat) of Finola's dec… Read More
2021-04-18 22:28
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 171, in which I review Home Before Dark on Apple TV+. Blog post review of Home Before Dark Further viewing: The Opinionization of Journalism Furth… Read More
2021-04-18 19:31
I've just seen one of the most inspiring television series in years. It made me proud to be both a writer and a professor who teaches about journalism. Home Before Dark is… Read More
2021-04-17 06:05
I wasn't going to watch The Nevers. I'd pretty much given up on superpowers on television after Heroes. On the other hand, how can you resist late 1890s London, the prime of Vict… Read More
2021-04-16 06:16
Well, it was a night for all kinds of profound changes in relationships in For All Mankind 2.9, in addition to some of what happened on the Moon.Here's what happened: Karen told Ed that she… Read More
2021-04-15 04:26
Hey, I'll be teaching a brand new course at Fordham University this summer that I proposed, created, and developed over the past few months: "Science Fiction from Page to Screen". I'll… Read More
2021-04-14 22:38
Big Sky was back last night after its long break with a double episode, and what felt a lot like a new season, not just the second part of the first. That's because Legarski is gone an… Read More
2021-04-14 02:45
An interesting Debris 1.7 last night, that served up another example of what the debris can do, mixing horror and humanity in the now signature way that Debris does this, but not moving the… Read More
2021-04-13 17:50
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 170, in which I review Q: Into the Storm. Blog post review of Q: Into the Storm. Check out this episode! Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's… Read More
2021-04-13 04:27
I'm watching but not reviewing every episode of City on a Hill these days -- too much other writing to be done -- but episode 2.3 was impossible not to review, because [Spoilers follow ... ]… Read More
2021-04-12 04:50
I just binge-watched Q: Into the Storm, a six-part documentary on HBO Max. It's about as breathtaking, daring, and informative a documentary, episode for episode, as ever I've seen.&n&helli…Read More
2021-04-09 15:30
In terms of humans going out into our solar system, the only really significant event happened at the very of For All Mankind 2.8. But it was a significant event indeed.[Spoilers follo… Read More
2021-04-09 04:11
I don't think I've ever seen a mini-series like Defending Jacob, up on AppleTV+ where it's been for nearly a year, based on a novel of the same name by William Landay which I didn't read.&nb&hell…Read More
2021-04-06 17:27
Debris 1.6 re-visits the ancient Fountain of Youth myth, in which you drink from some magical source of water and regain your youth. In the New World, Ponce de Leon was allegedly… Read More
2021-04-04 00:20
TV series about writers with complicated families and erotic urges who are writing something new and can't quite tell the difference between the fiction they're writing and the real relation… Read More
2021-04-02 23:45
I rarely review Law & Order SVU, but it's one of my favorite shows, and my wife feels the same. But I couldn't help but review the SVU crossover with the new Organized Crime Law &a&hell…Read More
2021-04-02 18:18
A flat-out great episode 2.7 of For All Mankind up on Apple TV+ today, with some of the best alternate history gambits of the series, that propel it into being one of the best episodes of th… Read More
2021-03-30 03:28
Make that two weeks in a row with strong episodes of Debris -- in fact, tonight's episode 1.5 was even better than last week's, on all kinds of levels.The destruction was averted, and it wou… Read More
2021-03-30 00:11
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 169, in which I review Season 3 of Shtisel. Blog post review of Shtisel. the first interstellar seder in space takes place in this novel &nb&hell…Read More
2021-03-29 23:31
Checking in with a review of The Cry, a 4-episode Australian-British miniseries I saw last night on Netflix. In a word: outstanding!First, Jenna Coleman, who was so good in Victoria in the t… Read More
2021-03-28 21:21
City on a Hill is back with its second season on Showtime today, firing of all cylinders. In the first minutes, we see DeCourcy denounced by a black cop in Boston as "Huxtable-looking… Read More
2021-03-28 17:33
The wife (froi) and I binge watched the third season of Shtisel on Netflix -- hey, it debuted on my birthday, March 25. And, I was delighted to find, these nine new, long-awaited episo… Read More
2021-03-27 00:05
A really excellent episode 2.6 of For All Mankind on Apple TV+ today, I'd say the best so far of the second season. The theme was couplings.First and foremost, in terms of space travel… Read More
2021-03-25 03:05
Just saw Deadly Illusions on Netflix. In a nutshell, it's a fairly good thriller about a writer (Mary) who may or may not be imagining scenes in her book which have her hiring a seduct… Read More
2021-03-24 02:49
All right, so here's what I can say about The Gloaming, which debuted Sunday evening on Starz:It has a great name. The gloam is that time between sunset and darkness. It's a good… Read More
2021-03-24 01:20
Well, I know I keep saying this, and that's because it's true. Debris keeps getting better and better, and it did this again this week in episode 1.4I especially liked the use of extra… Read More
2021-03-23 23:20
The third season of Balthazar has been up on Acorn via Amazon Prime Video for at least a month. My wife and I saw the first two seasons and loved them. We felt the same and even… Read More
2021-03-20 16:31
Here's a video by Angelo di Carpio that literally speaks -- and sings -- for itself. Masterful "mega-real aging" photography, with an alternate-history intelligently though… Read More
2021-03-20 05:27
So I'm on a roll tonight -- or maybe a nice fresh package of rolls, considering what I'm about to review for you -- and thought I'd watch a 2017 movie on Netflix, What Happened to Monday?&nb&hell…Read More
2021-03-20 00:53
Another good episode of For All Mankind tonight -- 2.5 -- with lots of time in Jamestown on the Moon, which is always one of my favorite places for this series.And the touches of our reality… Read More
2021-03-19 20:52
I binge-watched The One (based on the 2018 novel of the same name by John Marss) the past two nights on Netflix and very much enjoyed the series. It’s a science fiction/detective hybri… Read More
2021-03-17 07:30
So, here's a movie I want to tell you about: it debuted at a drive-in in South Carolina this past September, I just screened it on Vimeo, and it's now streaming on Amazon.Party Hard is actua… Read More
2021-03-16 06:00
An excellent episode of Debris tonight -- 1.3 -- that connected in a bunch of ways and opened up some intriguing possibilities.The main agenda are people who disappear and are trapped in ano… Read More
2021-03-13 05:02
I'll start this review by saying episode 2.4 of For All Mankind up on Apple TV+ today was my favorite episode so of this second season. The reason is that, for a variety of reasons, it… Read More
2021-03-12 06:07
Well, I liked Debris 1.2 on NBC this week considerably more than 1.1 the week before, and that's always a good sign. The story hung together a little better, and maybe that was because… Read More
2021-03-11 00:28
A here's a review of a top-notch movie with an original theme my wife and saw and much enjoyed on Netflix. I Care A Lot is billed as "comedy, crime, thriller" on IMDb, and "black comed… Read More
2021-03-10 23:44
Checking in with a review of Tell Me Your Secrets, which my wife and binge-watched on Amazon Prime Video, and very much enjoyed (contrary to many myopic critics, what else is new). It'… Read More
2021-03-07 03:54
Back as promised, threatened, with a review of the second time-loop movie I saw tonight on Hulu -- Boss Level. It was surprisingly good.Surprising, because it started off as almost a p… Read More
2021-03-07 01:14
So I reviewed an excellent time-loop movie (on Amazon Prime Video) here a few weeks ago -- The Map of Tiny Perfect Things -- and I figured I might as well review another time-loop movie, Pal… Read More
2021-03-06 05:15
Well, a remarkably unlunar episode 2.3 of For All Mankind this week, with almost no new action on the Moon, and barely a smidgen of alternate history.In fact, the closest this episode got th… Read More
2021-03-03 21:55
One of Smokey Robinson's last big hits -- recorded after he split with The Miracles -- and one of his best. I've always loved double rhymes in lyrics, and "Cruisin" has a good one … Read More
2021-03-03 00:14
And here's Josh Turner Guitar (that's his performance name) and two guys doing a pretty good cover of The Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing". I first became aware of Turner via hi… Read More
2021-03-02 06:20
Debris debuted on good old NBC tonight -- a fast-paced, surprisingly deep piece of science fiction, which has real potential.The set-up: in an alternate-present or near-future reality, an ex… Read More
2021-02-28 21:20
I just love this new, Yiddish rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" for a whole bunch of reasons.Yiddish is a splendid language, unique in its capacity to describe cert… Read More
2021-02-28 02:41
In our COVID-ridden real world, a near-future science fiction movie in which codes and AI are villains is something of relief, in addition to being unsettling, especially if it's well done… Read More
2021-02-27 22:50
Anne Reburn is one of the very best of the new crop of artists who have done astonishingly good covers of classic rock songs ranging from the Beach Boys to ELO. These include Fox… Read More
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