Author Archives: Neil Pond

Jan 09 2026
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Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Jan. 9 – Jan. 15

These girls are a ‘Riot,’ Will Smith explores the world, and movie awards season begins!

A group of women form a punk band in ‘Riot Girls.’

FRIDAY, Jan. 9
A Thousand Blows
Season two begins in the series about a group of characters battling to survive in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s. Starring Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham (Hulu).

People We Meet on Vacation
A young pair of longtime friends begins to question if they’re a perfect romantic match. Starring Emily Bader and Tom Blyth (Netflix).

SATURDAY, Jan. 10
Accused: The Karen Read Story
When a Boston police officer is found dead in a snowbank, his girlfriend is charged, creating and a firestorm of national attention (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Jan. 11
The Golden Globes
Comedian Nikki Glaser hosts tonight’s movie awards, voted by critics around the world and kicking off the film awards season (CBS).

Bookish
Six-part murder-mystery drama about an antiquarian bookshop owner (Mark Gatiss) who helps cops solve baffling crimes (10 p.m., PBS).

MONDAY, Jan. 12
American Sons
Documentary follows a brotherhood of U.S. Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan as they deal with the traumas of combat and the loss of their comrades (10 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Jan. 13
Tell Me Lies
Eight-episode third season premieres tonight, following a young couple (Grace Van Patten and Jackson White) and their college friends. And I’m telling you the truth (Hulu).

Pole to Pole with Will Smith
The actor joins expeditions to the earth’s more extreme environments—like the ice fields of Antarctica, the jungles of the Amazon, and the mountains of the Himalayas—in this new docuseries (National Geographic).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14
Riot Women
Women “of a certain age” form a punk band for a talent contest, and find they have a lot more to shout about than they thought (Britbox).

Hijack
A Berlin underground train and its commuters are taken hostage. And corporate business negotiator Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) is one of those passengers. What can he do? Find out in season two, beginning today (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, Jan. 15
Star Trek: Starfeet Academy
Newest chapter in the iconic space-adventure franchise centers on a group of young cadets. Starring Holly Hunter, Paul Giamatti and the voice of Stephen Colbert (Paramount+).

Ponies
Two “Ponies” (“persons of no interest”) working as secretaries at the American Embassy in Moscow become CIA operatives after their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances. Starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson, above (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Since we’re all taking pictures with our phones now, it’s good to reflect on what real photographers are doing. Exposure (Thames & Hudson) showcases the eye-popping work of 40 contemporary shutterbug pros, with subjects from whimsical to wild, all capturing moments in time through a lens.

Jan 02 2026
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Books, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Jan. 2 – Jan. 8

The ‘Angels’ return to TV, meet the Donkey King & movie awards season begins!

‘Charlie’s Angels’ return to TV in a salute to the work of producer Aaron Spelling.

FRIDAY, Jan. 2
MonsterQuest
The hunt continues in season two, looking for more evidence of bigfoot, UFO encounters, hauntings and killer beasts on land and sea (10 p.m., History).

SATURDAY, Jan. 3
Donkey King
Half-hour docuseries about a 75-acre nonprofit donkey rescue and sanctuary in California, where Ron King and dozens of volunteers have rescued and re-homed more than 400 donkeys (check listings, ABC).

Stolen Girl
Kate Beckinsale and Scott Eastwood star in this tale based on real events about a mom who goes to the Middle East to track down her ex-, who has abducted their young daughter (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Jan. 4
The Critics Choice Awards
Chelsea Handler returns as host of this annual event, voted by movies critics and kicking off the movie awards season. Sinners (above) and One Battle After Another lead the nominations (7 p.m., E! and USA Network).

Aaron Spelling Sundays
|New weekend programming block features hit-show nostalgia from the iconic TV producer/director, including Charlie’s Angels, Hart to Hart, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat (2 p.m., MeTV).

MONDAY, Jan. 5
My Life is Murder
Season five begins as sharp-witted investigator Alexa Crowe tackles her most perplexing and personal case yet (Acorn TV).

Antiques Roadshow
Season 30 begins with all-new searches for America’s hidden treasures (8 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Jan. 6
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
|The heralded genealogical series kicks off season 12 tonight, looking ahead to upcoming celebrity guests including Kristin Chenoweth, America Ferrera, Spike Lee, Tracy Letts, Barry Diller, Wiz Khalifa and many more (PBS).

Best Medicine
New comedy series set in a Boston hospital stars Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra and Annie Potts (8 p.m., Fox).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 7
The Masked Singer
The hit competition—with masked and heavily costumed celebs singing, until they’re “revealed”—returns for season 14 with more stars, more songs and new twists on pop culture. Hosted by Nick Cannon (8 p.m., Fox).

Harlan Coben’s Final Twist
Author Harlan Coben—whose books include Missing You and Fool Me Once—hosts this new true-crime series (10 p.m., CBS).

THURSDAY, Jan. 8
The Hunting Party
Crime procedural about a team of investigators assembled to track down a dangerous serial killer who’s escaped from prison. Starring Melissa Roxburgh, Patrick Sabongui, Josh McKenzie and Sara Garcia (NBC).

Alfie Allen in ‘Girl Taken.’

Girl Taken
New series about the abduction of an English girl, her escape from captivity, and her discovery that freedom brings its own challenges. Starring Alfie Allen, Jill Halfpenny, Tallulah Evans and Delphi Evans (Paramount+).

Golden Globe Awards|
Tonight’s movie awards are voted by international journalists who cover Hollywood. Helen Mirren will receive the organization’s highest honor, the Cecil B. DeMille Award (8 p.m., CBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Author Carrie Gibson’s The Great Resistance (Atlantic Monthly Press) chronicles dramatic stories of slavery. It’s a powerful reminder of the horrors, and an inspiring saga about some 12 million Africans who were brought to the Western Hemisphere as slaves and the four-hundred-year fight to end the abomination of a system that treated them as subhuman.

David Gilmour: Luck and Strange Studio/Live (Thames & Hudson) is a photographic chronicle by Polly Samson of the former Pink Floyd band member’s latest solo project, “Luck and Strange,” as he makes it and then takes his new music on the road. Includes song lyrics and a Q&A interview.

What if the key to healthier living wasn’t to be found in fads or extreme diets? Find out more in Eat Your Ice Cream (W.W. Norton) by Ezekiel J. Emmanuel, a common-sense guidebook for beneficial behaviors and healthy habits…including, yes, having some ice cream now and then.

Dec 26 2025
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Movies, Music, Pop Culture, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of Dec. 26 – Jan. 1

All about Chevy, a celebration of Latin music & how to ring in the New Year!

FRIDAY, Dec. 26
Romcom Marathon
Beat those post-Christmas blahs with Maid in Manhattan, The Preacher’s Wife, Never Been Kissed and Bridesmaids, back to back (begins 1 p.m., TNT).

The Jester 2
On Halloween night, a teen magician finds herself locked in a brutal showdown with the Jester, a nightmarish and supernatural trickster. No tidings of comfort and joy here! (Shudder).

SATURDAY, Dec. 27
The Copenhagen Test
Espionage thriller about a Chinese-American intelligence analyst who realizes his brain has been hacked, giving bad guys access to everything he sees, hears and does. Starring Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera (Peacock).

Home Reimagined
Host/designer Vern Yip travels across the country to mentor brave innovators converting unusual spaces into family homes (1 p.m., Magnolia Network).

SUNDAY, Dec. 28
A Grammy Celebration of Latin Music
Wilmer Valderrama and singer-songwriter, actress and producer Roselyn Sánchez co-host the evening highlighting Latin music’s lasting impact and widespread influence in the United States (8 p.m., CBS).

Adventure in Wonder
A Texas family abandons their comfort zone for the Croatian seas, where they discover how adventures—and connections—happen when you’re brave enough to navigate the unknown together (Wonder Project on Amazon).

1939Joan Fontaine, Rosalind Russell, Florence Nash, Phyllis Povah, 1939

MONDAY, Dec. 29
Turner Classic Movies: Art Deco
Part three of the series shines the spotlight on classic films from the 1920s and ‘30s showcasing the eras’ predominant architectural style, as host Dave Karger explores the history and significance of the décor in Hollywood (TCM).   

TUESDAY, Dec. 30
Building Outside the Lines
Builder Jared “Cappie” Capps transforms unexpected objects into beautiful designs with the most creative person he knows: his teenage daughter (8 p.m., Magnolia Network).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 31
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash
The Music City celebrates with this live concert event featuring Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, Brooks & Dunn, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam and Bailey Zimmerman (8 p.m., CBS and Paramount+).

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest—with assists from Chance the Rapper and Julianne Hough—live from Times Square, the show rings out the old and in with new with a night of superstar performances by Demi Levato, Mariah Carey, Post Malone and many more (10 p.m., ABC).

THURSDAY, Jan. 1
Rose Bowl Parade
Get a ringside seat for the 137th annual procession of eye-catching floats, bands and more down the streets of Pasadena, Calif. (11 a.m., NBC).

The Cult of the Real Housewife
Three-part docuseries unpacks the allegations against The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby and her cult-like megachurch (8 p.m., TLC).

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not
Documentary peels back the comedy curtain to show the complexities of the real person known from Saturday Night Live and movies including National Lampoon’s Vacation, Fletch and Caddyshack. Interviewees include Dan Aykroyd, Beverly Angelo, Goldie Hawn and Martin Short (8 p.m., CNN).

NOW HEAR THIS

The hitmaking duo of Tears for Fears mark the 40th anniversary milestone of their 1985 album Songs From the Big Chair with a new edition on multiple formats, reminding us how it topped the charts and spawned five hit singles. Re-experience the ‘80s with “Shout,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Head Over Heels” and other tracks, including alternative mixes and other bonus aural goodies.

If you love jazz, and love to rock too, well, check out jazz singer Deborah Silver‘s Basie Rocks! (Green Hill), a hip collaboration that melds classic rock tunes—like Elton John‘s “Bennie and the Jets,” Steve Miller‘s “Fly Like an Eagle,” Bob Seger‘s “Old Time Rock & Roll,” The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” and The Police hit “Every Breath You Take”—with the music of the iconic swingin’ big band. And Peter Frampton even guest stars on “Baby I Love Your Way.” Groovy, baby!

BRING IT HOME

Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like Ethan Hawk terrorizing kids from beyond the grave, right? Get Black Phone 2 on DVD or Blu-ray, reuniting the cast of the first fright flick in a new bone-chilling setting. Extras include deleted scenes, a meet-the-cast feature and an inside look at the movie’s set and effects. Oh, and if that payphone rings, don’t answer it. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment).

Emma Thompson stars in Bugonia, a freakout bonkers of a film about a healthcare CEO kidnapped by a couple of yahoos (one of them played by Jesse Plemons) who think she’s really a space alien. And just when you think you know where it’s headed…surprise! (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment).
 

Dec 23 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Marty Supreme”

Timothée Chalamet gets his game on as a 1950s ping-pong whiz with a dream and a scheme (or two)

Marty Supreme
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin O’Leary & Odessa A’zion
Directed by Josh Sadfie
Rated R

In theaters Thursday, Dec. 25

He’s played Willy Wonka, Bob Dylan, a cannibal boyfriend and King Henry. Now Timothée Chalamet is playing ping-pong, starring in this feisty drama loosely based on the flamboyant real-life table-tennis hustler Marty Reisman, who rose to fame wowing audiences in the 1950s.

Chalamet’s character—with the slightly tweaked name of Marty Mouser—is a wisecracking, motor-mouthed wheeler-dealer, a table-tennis prodigy who fervently wants to become a world champion, the supreme player of the sport, more than anything else. But to get there, he first must run a gauntlet of mishaps, misunderstandings and mayhem—and somehow score enough cash to fund his travel to international tournaments in London, Japan and the Middle East.

Director Josh Sadfie (whose other flicks include the fabulously frantic Uncut Gems and Good Time) keeps the snappy breathless pace zipping and zinging, flying almost as fast—and as unpredictable—as the ping-pong balls Marty slams, smacks and smashes with his paddle. Sadie makes table tennis so exciting, this movie might just spark a new craze.

It takes us along for the wild, gritty ride and the breathless whir of all the schemes and hustles as Marty engages with a wide range of colorful characters. There’s his pregnant longtime friend (Odessa A’zion). Marty has a steamy tryst or two with a glamorous actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), who’s married to an ink-pen magnate (Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary) who may be the ticket to Marty’s hopes for table-tennis supremacy. Fran Drescher plays his mom, Sandra Bernhard is a neighbor, Isaac Mizrahi has a couple of scenes as an over-enthusiastic publicist.

Real-life moviemaker and award-winning playwright David Mamet pops in as the director of an off-Broadway play, and Marty gives some handy advice to its actor (Frederick Hechinger, who played a weaselly Roman emperor in Gladiator II). A shady character portrayed by filmmaker Abel Ferrara sets off a chain reaction that weaves throughout the film when a flophouse bathtub falls on him. The rapper Tyler the Creator gets screen time as Marty’s friend Wally, a taxi driver who steers him through one particularly crazy night.

But the revved-up engine that drives everything is clearly Chalamet, demonstrating yet again what crackling, confident versatility he can summon onscreen. It’s no surprise his character is in every scene. The camera clearly loves him (and females will swoon during a scene when he, ahem, drops trou.)

Throughout the movie, Marty ponders his next move. Should he risk his life trying to recover a kidnapped dog to get what he thinks will be a sizeable reward? Should he take a gig playing exhibition pong, hamming it up for pay like the Harlem Globetrotters, playing with pots and pans instead of paddles, across from a trained seal as an opponent? Why is he running from the cops, or driving through a cornfield? And what’s World War II and a bunch of cheering GIs got to do with it all?

Will Marty realize his dream, finally, when he faces off with his international nemesis, the Japanese champ (real-life ping-pong master Koto Kawaguchi)? Or will he find another dream to make him happy and fulfilled? (Cue Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”)

It’s all fast, fun and friskily a-swirl with surprises. Like a game of pong, you never know just how, or where, the balls are going to bounce. At one point, a whole bushel basket of them spills out a window, bouncing all over the sidewalk. Marty’s adventure bounces him all over the place too, but Chalamet is always in control with charm, charisma and ping-pongy pizzazz. “It’s only a matter of time before I’m staring at you from the cover of a Wheaties box,” Marty boasts at one point.

It’s a late runner entering the field, but Marty Supreme is already being lauded as one of the best movies of the year. And best of all, you don’t have to wait for a Wheaties box to see Timothée Chalamet in an impressive, balls-n-all display of what he can do up on the big screen.

—Neil Pond

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Dec 22 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “The Testament of Ann Lee”

An eccentric quasi-musical about the woman who founded the Shaker religion

The Testament of Ann Lee
Starring Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie & Lewis Pullman
Directed by Mona Fastvold
Rated R

In theaters Dec. 25, 2025

On the spectrum of organized religion, the Shakers have a uniquely odd spot of spirited gonzo weirdness.

Established in England, this offshoot of the Quakers believed sex was sin and that souls could be cleansed through frenzied ecstatic dancing. They also believed that the promise of the “second coming” had been fulfilled in a woman, Ann Lee, proclaimed as the female Christ.

This origin story stars Amanda Seyfried as that woman, who founded the Shakers and brought their beliefs to America in just as the Revolutionary War was getting ramped up. Seyfried (whose wide-ranging previous roles include starring in Mama Mia!, Mean Girls and Les Miserables) certainly gives her all here, pouring herself into the character of Lee, the “woman preacher” whose zealotry launched dozens of Shaker communities with thousands of followers, willing to replace “sinful” sexual desire with communal labor, woodworking craftsmanship and a commitment to non-confrontational pacifism.

Director Mona Fastvold (who co-wrote and produced last year’s The Brutalist) shows us how Lee (played as a child by Millie-Rose Crossley) developed an early distaste for “the depravity of human nature.” Seeing her parents have sex repulses her and sparks a fiery hatred of “fleshly cohabitation.” She grows up with visions of God, heaven, Adam and Eve and the snake in the Garden.

Christopher Abbott plays Ann’s husband, who doesn’t exactly share her views that abstinence through celibacy is the clearest path to eternal salvation. He’s into a bit of kink, he loves bonking, and the four children Ann bears all die as infants. That does it, solidifying her foundation of thought that sex leads to nothing but heartbreak and loss—and possibly damnation.

We see the Shakers twirling and whirling and prancing, jerking and chanting and singing; outsiders see them as crazy, and Ann ends up in prison for leading such disruptive gatherings. But that kind of persecution only steels her resolve. She ventures to the New World with a fervent little group of followers to establish a colony in New York.

Tim Blake Nelson plays an American Protestant minister who converts. Ann’s loyal brother, William (Lewis Pullman) becomes one of her first evangelists, spreading the word about their commune and their commitment. The story is narrated by Mary Partington (Thomasin McKenzie), another follower who accompanies Ann to America.

The movie is a kinda-musical, with many scenes of Shakers breaking into song and dance numbers based on hymns and scriptures. Sometimes it feels like they’re genuinely full of the spirit, but other times it just looks silly or spoofy, like an SNL skit lampooning religious extremity or a crazy intersection of O Brother, Where Are Thou? and Glee.

But the Shakers were dead serious, even moreso as their bizarre behavior (including rumors of spastic dancing naked by firelight) incites violent backlash. Ann is accused of being insane, of practicing witchcraft, and misleading those who follow her “sham” religion. The Shaker colonists are assaulted when an angry mob breaks into one of their services.

It’s no surprise that the movement was relatively short-lived; it’s hard to attract new members, much less grow your flock, when your reputation—as dancing freaks who get beaten bloody and don’t have sex—gets around. Today, there are only two official avowed Shakers in existence, and they live in one of the only remaining Shaker colonies in the world, in Maine.

In the end, the Shakers were a quirky historical footnote, a peculiar thread in the ever-evolving fabric of Christian faith. But The Testament of Ann Lee is a unique cinematic look at how the movement found its footing, and its followers, due to the passion and fiery conviction of a woman who’ll forever be remembered as their “Mother.”

—Neil Pond

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Dec 19 2025
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Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Dec. 19- 25

It’s beginning to look a LOT like Christmas, plus the harrowing tale of ‘HIM’ and who’s up for some pickleball?

‘A Christmas Story’ airs Friday, Dec. 19

FRIDAY, Dec. 19
A Christmas Story
Ah, it’s that time of year again, when all a little boy (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun, and everyone tells him “You’ll shoot your eye out!” (4:45 p.m., TNT).

HIM
A college football player with his eyes on the pros meets his NFL idol for training but finds out something hellishly weird is going on. Starring Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers (Peacock).

SATURDAY, Dec. 20
A Pickleball Christmas
A tennis pro competes in a high-stakes Pickleball tournament (above) to save his family’s racquetball club (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Naughty or Nice Weekend
Santa’s playlist includes Elf, Scrooged, The Polar Express, Four Christmases and more, from tonight through Dec. 21 (begins 9:45 a.m., AMC).

SUNDAY, Dec. 21
Hollywood Squares
Two episodes of the popular celebrity game show, hosted by Nate Burleson, feature holiday-themed questions (8:30 p.m., CBS).

The Wonderful World of Disney Presents “The Sound of Music”
Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer star in the Oscar®-winning film, celebrating its 60th anniversary and featuring iconic songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein, including “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “The Sound of Music” (8 p.m., ABC)

MONDAY, Dec. 22
The Price is Right|
It’s time for the annual tradition of Christmas-themed episodes (11 a.m., CBS).

The Madame Blanc Mysteries
Two-night Christmas special in which the characters find themselves at Christmas Eve event, with a ticking time bomb hidden away inside a bejeweled museum treasure (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, Dec. 23
Kennedy Center Honors
George Strait, the rock band KISS, actor Sylvester Stallone and disco pioneer Gloria Gaynor are among the evening’s honorees (8 p.m., CBS).

Die My Love
Jennifer Lawrence scorches the screen as a young wife and mother tormented by love and madness in this gripping thriller that also features Robert Pattinson, Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek and LaKeith Stanfield (Mubi).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 24
Goodbye June
Actress Kate Winslet makes her directorial debut with this Christmas tale of four adult siblings experiencing a downturn in the health of their mother—who insists on orchestrating her decline on her own terms. Cast includes Toni Collette (above), Johnny Flynn, Helen Mirren and Winslet (Netflix).

It’s a Wonderful Life
It wouldn’t be Christmas without this 1946 Christmas classic, in which an angel named Clarence helps a desperate banker and family man (James Stewart) see how “rich” his life really is (8 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, Dec. 25
Music Box: Happy and You Know It
Documentary explores how “children’s music” became so wildly popular—and underestimated by grownups (9 p.m., HBO).

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
Alfonso Ribeiro and Ginnifer Goodwin host as the all-star parade winds through the Magic Kingdom (11 a.m., ABC and Disney).

The Best You Can
Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon and Judd Hirsch (above) lead the cast of this heartwarming cross-generational holiday comedy (Netflix).

BRING IT HOME

The perfect Christmas gift for a fan of one of TV’s top series might just Law & Order: The Complete Series (AV Entertainment), a gollywhopper of a box set that “captures” every episode of seasons 1 through 20 of the iconic crime drama starring Sam Waterson, Chris Noth, Michael Moriaty, Richard Brooks, Jerry Orbach and Angie Harmon.  (Purchase at https://www.moviezyng.com/law–order-the-complete-original-series-dvd-sam-waterston/84041833653)

Groove back to the groovin’ ’70s in Boogie Nights (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), now fully restored on 4K Ultra HD. Director Paul Thomas Anderson‘s acclaimed drama, about a wide cast of characters intersecting in L.A.’s booming porn-movie industry, stars Burt Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy and Heather Gramham.

Re-live the charm and the chuckles of Ted Lasso when the acclaimed, award-winning comedy series comes to DVD for the first time. Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (AV Entertainment) contains all 34 episodes of the show starring Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein, coming out just ahead of its season-four return to Apple TV+ next year. (Purchase at https://zyng.us/DCACMO)
 

Dec 18 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Song Sung Blue”

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson shine in this true love story built on a foundation of Neil Diamond hits

Song Sung Blue
Starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson
Directed by Craig Brewer
Rated PG-13

In theaters Thursday, Dec. 25

What, exactly, is a song sung blue? In Neil Diamond’s No. 1 hit single from 1972, it’s a singalong about shared sadness and turning something melancholy into a thing that makes you happy—even if you’re singing it “with a tear in your voice.”

This flick is based on the true story of a husband and wife who performed together as a tribute act, Lightning and Thunder, in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson star as Mike and Claire Sardina, whose story was previously made into a 2008 documentary film with the same title.

The Sardinas were struggling singers—and divorcees with kids—before meeting each other, falling in love, joining forces and becoming a local sensation in Milwaukee, Wisc., harmonizing on Neil Diamond songs at state fairs and other events.

Diamond himself doesn’t appear anywhere, but the movie is built on his musical legacy and best-known hits, anchored by a love story about a couple who cared for each other, loved making music together and became regionally famous doing it. Jackman gets to flex the singing chops he displayed in The Greatest Showman and Les Misérables. Last year, Hudson released her own album, Glorious. Both are pitch perfect in roles that require them to sing, and sing a lot.

“You’re not a Neil Diamond impersonator,” Claire tells Mike, calming his initial intimidation about stepping into the shoes of the hitmaker who wrote The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”  “You’re a Neil Diamond interpreter.”

Music lovers will certainly love watching Jackman and Hudson interpret “Sweet Caroline,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Play Me,” “Holly, Holy,” “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” and “Soolaimon,” a frequently mispronounced favorite of Diamond’s that he often used to open his shows. There are deeper cuts too, like “Crunchy Granola Suite.” And, of course, “Song Sung Blue.”

The movie does a great job of showing a stratum of the music biz that’s, well, a few layers below Taylor Swift…or Neil Diamond. Song Sung Blue effectively depicts the couple’s journey from casinos and barrooms to concert halls (opening for Pearl Jam!). It’s not always smooth ‘n’ easy; Mike works as a backyard mechanic to make ends meet.

And just when the showbiz future starts looking bright, wham—the real world comes crashing in.  

Michael Imperioli, Jim Belushi and Fisher Stevens all have supporting roles as Mike’s pals. And as impressive as Jackman and Hudson sound singing, she also does a great job of mastering a Midwestern accent. You’d never guess she grew up in L.A., not on the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

“I’m not a songwriter, I’m not a sex symbol,” Mike tells Claire early in the movie, as their relationship is just beginning to blossom. “I just want to entertain people.”

And Jackson and Grant certainly do that. Song Sung Blue is a Christmastime gem of a musical biopic to lift your holiday spirits, get your toes tapping, and make you smile through the melancholy…even if you don’t know your Neil Diamond from your Neil Sedaka.  

—Neil Pond

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Dec 16 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Avatar: Fire & Ash:

Third installment of the blockbuster sci-fi franchise is big and blue and in a zone all its own

Avatar: Fire & Ash
Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldaña & Oona Chaplin
Directed by James Cameron
Rated PG-13

In theaters Friday, Dec. 19

Welcome back to the distant moon of Pandora, some 26 trillion miles from Earth—but as close as your local movie screen!

In this third installment of director James Cameron’s Avatar adventure epic, the peaceful Na’vi tribe is stirred to action by a much more aggressive clan aligned with militaristic human invaders plotting to take over Pandora and line their pockets exploiting it.

If you’re an avid Avatar-iac, a diehard fan of the billion-dollar blockbuster franchise, you’ll feel right at home. If you’re new to the wonders of Pandora, well, hold onto your pointy ears, your tail and your dreadlocked hair. You’re in for one far-out ride, one that lasts nearly three and a half hours.

Using his pioneering motion-capture technology to put digital “makeup” onto real actors, Cameron has crafted another spectacular, not-of-this-earth saga. Your eyes know what they’re seeing isn’t 100 percent “real,” but it’s not quite fake, either. It’s a whole ‘nother sprawling universe, existing in a new realm of artificially heightened movie reality with a pantheon of exotic creatures and 10-foot tall Pandorans sweeping and swooping around the sky riding dragon-like lizard birds, swimming in the sea alongside massive leviathan predators, and running like goosed gazelles through the dense jungle.

You’ll see some familiar digitized faces (some more than others) in characters carrying over from the two previous Avatars, in 2009 and 2022, including  Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldaña, Kate Winslet and Stephen Lang, while Giovanni Ribisi and Edie Falco also reprise their real-people roles as humans, no digitization required. Jack Champion, playing “Spider,” the adopted human boy raised by the Na’vi, has a critical role in the story and a much bigger part than in previous films.

But the movie’s real splash is made by Oona Chaplin as Varang, the shamanic leader of the warring Ash People, so known because they live in a volcano and can control fire. If the last name rings a bell, it’s because Chaplin is the granddaughter of silent-film pioneer Charlie Chaplin, who died, alas, more than half a century before seeing what his li’l lumpkin spawn would look like all grown up and digitally enhanced as an impossibly lanky blue humanoid wearing war paint, a flaming red headdress and a skimpy, strapless two-piece Pandora-kini. If Bob Mackie designed costumes for Cher for a ’70s TV show somewhere in a faraway galaxy, she might look something like Varang—who I kept wishing would break into a Pandoran cover of “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.” She’s one bewitchingly sexy, seriously terrifying villain, especially when she hisses and sneers.

It’s a mega-load of deep-dish sci-fi on steroids, but it also has some resonant real-world themes about spirituality, the evils of colonization, the importance of family, reverence for the mysteries of nature and creatures great and small, and the great connectedness of our world, no matter which planet—or moon—we call home. The Ash People are regarded as “savages” and “hostiles,” in much the same way indigenous Americans were considered by more “civilized” Euro-centric immigrants. It’s no wonder they shoot flaming arrows and make chilling war-whoops.

In addition to the “cowboys ‘n’ Indians” thread running throughout, there are hints of other pop-cultural touchstones, including some vine-swinging a la Tarzan, a fateful sea-battle moment that reminded me of captain Ahab and Moby Dick, and even a deadly serious climatic cliffhanger that made me think—bizarrely, I know—of the ‘80s sitcom My Two Dads. When you watch it, you’ll know what I mean. Pandora may be far, far, far away, and its air may be toxic for humans to breathe, but nothing exists in a vacuum.

It’s a golly-whopper of a thrill ride, a gob-smacking display of filmmaking tech, unbridled imagination and meticulously crafted world-building. To say “You’ve never seen anything like it” isn’t quite right, but mostly is. Cameron’s Avatar realm truly does exist in a world of its own, one that feels both futuristic and prehistoric, one he created—and one that gazillions of fans eagerly flock to visit.

And they’ll be flocking well into the future. The director has announced that the fourth and fifth Avatars are already on the launchpad. So, keep that dragon-bird saddle and stirrup handy.

—Neil Pond

Dec 15 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “The Housemaid”

Who’s the crazy one in this steamy, twisty-turny potboiler? Hint: It may not be who you think.

The Housemaid
Starring Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried & Brandon Sklenar
Directed by Paul Feig
Rated R

In theaters Friday, Dec. 19

When a young woman with a checkered past takes a job as a live-in maid, it pries opens a Pandora’s box of secrets in this steamy little potboiler.

Sydney Sweeney stars as Millie, who’s clearly down on her luck—living in her car, bathing in washrooms—when she she’s hired by Nina (Amanda Seyfried) to clean, cook and look after her pouty young daughter (Indiana Elle). And there’s Nina’s hunky, buff husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and a mysterious, broody groundskeeper (Michelle Morrone).

Veteran actress Elizabeth Perkins has a supporting role as Andrew’s icy, high-society mom, giving off some strong Cruella de Ville vibes.

Millie thinks she’s hit the jackpot, a job working for a perfect couple. But perfection, she learns, can be an illusion.

That everything heats up to a combustive breaking point won’t surprise anyone. But how it gets there, well, I won’t spoil it—except to say that nothing is quite as it appears to be, and first impressions can be misleading. A lot of the movie’s fine-tuned tension comes from director Paul Feig, whose resume is loaded with successful TV (Mad Men, The Office, 30 Rock) and films (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy). He knows how to unspool an engaging story—and spike it with stabs and jabs of humor, even when they draw blood.  

And he’s working with a super-juicy, torrid tale. The film’s based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 runaway bestselling novel, which lays down the movie’s guessing-game groundwork and sets up its tangled romantic triangle built on lies, schemes, sex, misdirection and manipulation.

There are signs everywhere that trouble is brewing, revelations that add new wrinkles to the plot.  Someone’s served time in prison, and you’ll find out why someone else is feigning infertility. Who’s been in and out of the psych ward? The caddish Andrew, who loves to flirt, tells Millie that his smile is a “sword.” Does he mean sword, like a weapon? When he plunks down on the sofa with her to watch a rerun of Family Feud, you know this “family” is soon going to be feuding for real.

Seyfried, soon to be seen as the founder of the Shakers in The Testament of Ann Lee, turns up the heat here in a bold performance that peels away the layers of a character who’s more complex—and more sympathetic—than she comes off. Skelener, who’ll be recognizable to Yellowstone fans as Spencer Dutton in the show’s 1923 spinoff, oozes seductive charm spiked with menace. And Sweeney, whose Hollywood star has been rising since her TV roles in The White Lotus and Euphoria, anchors it all as the domestic who finds herself with a bit more to do than dusting countertops or scrubbing toilets.

The soundtrack includes tunes from Lana Del Rey, Kelly Clarkson and Sabrina Carpenter. The opening line of Linda Ronstadt’s cover of The Rolling Stone’s “Tumbling Dice” offers a hint early about how the movie’s going to go, as she snarls about people who “always think I’m crazy…”

You too will be thinking about who’s crazy in this deliciously twisty psycho thriller that lights the fuse on a pulsating powder keg of deep, dark secrets as it barrels toward its cathartic closing explosion.

—Neil Pond

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Dec 12 2025
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Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Dec. 12 – 18

The new ‘Knives Out,’ celebrating Dick Van Dyke and Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

FRIDAY, Dec. 12
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Adventure
Det. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) “goes to church” for his most baffling case yet in the third Knives Out murder mystery, with a cast that also includes Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washinton, Cailee Spaeny and Thomas Haden Church (Netflix).

Starring Dick Van Dyke
Celebrate the life and career of legendary actor—known for films like Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, TV ‘s Diagnosis Murder and his classic CBS sitcom—on his 100th birthday (9 p.m., PBS).

One More Shot
A woman (Emily Browning) finds a bottle of tequila that lets her time-travel to try to win back her old flame (Sean Keenan) in this time-loop comedy (check streaming listings).

SATURDAY, Dec. 13
The Family Film and TV Awards
Who says they’re nothing worthwhile about movies or TV? Tonight’s 28th annual ceremony, hosted by Julie Chen Moonves, will honor excellence in family-oriented programming. Jeff Probst, the host of Survivor, and magicians Penn & Teller will receive special honors (8 p.m., CBS and Paramount+). 

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Lucy recruits Charlie Brown to direct the gang’s holiday play. Can he find the perfect tree, and discover the true meaning of Christmas? (Apple TV+).

The Heisman Trophy Ceremony
Who’ll be the 2025 honoree as college football’s top player? Tune in tonight to find out in the live ceremony hosted by Sunday Night Football play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler (7 p.m., ABC).

SUNDAY, Dec. 14
Best Elf Marathon
Back-to-back showings of Elf, Fred Claus and The Polar Express (begins 4:30 p.m., AMC).

Avatar: The Way of Water
The 2022 sci-fi action epic, about human-like creatures who are quite at home on a moon called Pandora. Until, that is, they’re threatened again by humans (7 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, Dec. 15
Hope of the Season: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The world-renowned choir’s new holiday spectacular is packed with classic carols and holiday favorites for a 90-minute concert featuring songs and stories of hope for audiences of all ages (8 p.m., PBS).

The FBI
As the holidays approach, the team finds three slain sex workers inside a brownstone and uncover the murderer has a larger plan in place that they must rush to stop (8 p.m., CBS).

TUESDAY, Dec. 16
Great Performances: Nutcracker from English National Ballet
For many, it wouldn’t be Christmastime with this classic stage portrayal of Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday musical featuring some 100 dancers and musicians (8 p.m., PBS).

The Secrets We Bury
A Long Island family unearths a decades-old mystery around their father’s disappearance (9 p.m., ID).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17
IHeart Jingle Ball 2025
The season’s iconic holiday music event features the year’s top artist performances and star-studded appearances to ring in holiday cheer (8 p.m., ABC).

THURSDAY, Dec. 18
The Wolf Wars
Docuseries details Europe’s most expensive wildlife battle—the killing of wolves—and uncovers a tale of threats, harassment and secret networks where money, power and high-stake politics reign (Viaplay).

Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
The late-night host searches for the holiday spirit in New York, corralling Meghan Trainor, Cara Delevingne, Dolly Parton, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, The Roots, LL Cool J and “Weird Al” Yankovic into the holiday spirit (9 p.m., NBC).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Comic books ain’t what they used to be. Case in point: Fantastic Adventures in the Comics (McFarland), in which author William Schoell looks back (fondly) at the genre from the 1940s into the ’80s, when pulpy pioneers were venturing boldly into the unknown, particularly outer space, where all sorts of strange creatures thrived, “space babes” were welcome aboard any mission, and imaginations were free to run wild.

BRING IT HOME

Laugh again to ‘toondom’s classic cat and mouse with Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958), a roundup of more than 100 theatrical shorts starring the acclaimed, Oscar-winning Hanna-Barbera duo that became global icons for gags, chases and slapstick violence. This special edition also includes a booklet and commentary.

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