This Series Is So Good It’s Worth Watching Twice

Trailer for "Spider-Noir" / Amazon Prime Video 1. "Spider-Noir" (Spider-Noir, Amazon Prime Video) Just when it seems we have seen every possible variation of superhero series that break the genre’s familiar formulas, from the sarcastic and gory "The Boys" (which has just wrapped its final season) to the undefinable "WandaVision," Amazon Prime Video’s new "Spider-Noir" arrives and proves the genre still has room to grow and evolve. On paper, the eight-episode series already has two strong cards: Nicolas Cage in his first major television role, in a career that is nothing short of unbelievable, and an interesting gimmick that lets viewers choose whether they want to watch the series in black and white, in keeping with its noir motif, or in full color. I personally kept switching between the options because I couldn’t decide. The really good news is that, gimmick or not, "Spider-Noir" turns out to be an exciting, distinctive, stylish series that will also appeal to viewers who are not necessarily drawn to superhero stories. Cage plays Ben Reilly, one of Spider-Man’s multiverse variants, a character who appeared in comics many years ago. Reilly lives in New York in the 1930s, is recovering from the loss of his fiancée Ruby, whom he could not save, and works as a private investigator. Spider-Man’s superpowers have more or less retired, although they still flare up from time to time. Nicolas Cage in color and black and white, "Spider-Noir" / Aaron Epstein/Prime Video There is a mosaic of supporting characters here that fit the private investigator genre perfectly, the femme fatale who comes asking for help and turns out to be far less innocent than she seems (Li Jun Li, "Sinners"), the best friend who would take a bullet for Reilly (Lamorne Morris, "New Girl"), the office partner (the excellent Karen Rodriguez, "The Hunting Wives") and, of course, a powerful villain played by Brendan Gleeson ("The Banshees of Inisherin"). Everything here seems, on the surface, to follow the rules of the genre, but also to break them, which initially creates a bit of distraction and makes it hard to follow all the small plot details, so it is good that there is an option to get a recap at the beginning of the episodes. Oren Uziel, the American with the most Israeli-sounding name, who previously wrote film hits, some of them fairly trashy like "Mortal Kombat" and some gems like "22 Jump Street," is behind the series together with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creators of the beloved "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (and the directors of the "Jump Street" films). They have created a truly special series that is completely worth your time, largely thanks to Cage, who in recent years has enjoyed a justified renaissance thanks to his versatility and his courage in choosing roles. In fact, I would say that "Spider-Noir" may even be worth a second viewing, once in black and white and once in color, to enjoy all of its different dimensions. More on Walla Don’t believe anyone who badmouthed this series. It’s excellent and the ending is moving and superb Full article 2. "The Boroughs" (The Boroughs, Netflix) On the face of it, "The Boroughs," the new project produced by the Duffer brothers, looks like "Stranger Things" for seniors, but the truth is that even after watching all eight episodes of its first season, that is still the most accurate description of it. This time the setting moves from the fictional town of Hawkins to "The Boroughs," an isolated and upscale assisted-living complex in New Mexico, a state known for its glorious history of alien stories. If you are going to be retired, then this is the place to do it, among the golf courses, the classes and the wide variety of food laid on in abundance. The series’ opening scene shows Grace (Dee Wallace, the mother from the film "E.T.") in her unit, watching the trivia game show "Jeopardy!" while her husband, who is in "the Manor" (the place where residents with dementia are housed), calls her and mutters something about "owls inside the walls." In keeping with the rules of the genre, the incoherent muttering about owls turns out to be true when Grace is attacked in the middle of the night by an alien creature. From there, the focus shifts to the character of Sam (Alfred Molina, one of the greatest actors working today), a retiree who arrives for the first time at "The Boroughs" accompanied by his daughter, her husband and his grandchildren. He was supposed to move there with his wife, but she died and he was forced to make the move against his will, while from the start he expresses a great deal of cynicism toward marketing a retirement home as a place for leisure and spa treatments. Since all his savings went into this move, he has no choice but to stay there and plans to persuade the young CEO, Blaine (Seth Numrich, "The Americans"), to get him out of the contract. Meanwhile, a group of people who do not quite fit where they are supposed to be gathers around him, and here the resemblance to "Stranger Things" becomes even more pronounced: his super-friendly neighbor Jack (Bill Pullman), who throws him a party and introduces him to his friends, including Wally (Denis O’Hare, "American Horror Story"), a doctor with cancer, the couple Art and Judy (Clark Peters, "The Wire," and Alfre Woodard, "See"); and Renee, an art teacher played by Geena Davis, to whose breakthrough film, "Thelma & Louise," the series often pays tribute. When Sam sees an alien feeding on one of his friends, and his complaints are met with dismissive treatment from the facility staff, he decides to investigate. Sam’s investigation, and that of his group, which is supposed to be the series’ high point, turns out instead to be its weakest part. It is not that anyone expects much logic in a story about aliens whose favorite food is sun-tanned American retirees, but as has often happened in "Stranger Things," the series’ subplots receive disproportionate attention, perhaps in order to help it reach its eight-episode quota. As a result, despite its truly fantastic cast, it sometimes borders on boring. On the other hand, when it is good, and that mostly happens in the moments when this group comes together, it is very good and leaves you wanting a second season and a somewhat tighter version of the series. Looking for recommendations or want to recommend new series? Want to just talk about television? Join our Facebook group, "Shidur Hofrer" What to watch this month on TV: all the worth-watching series coming soon More on Walla Two strangers, one deal and explosive sexual tension. This series knows exactly what it is doing Full article 3. "Buried Secrets" (Under Salt Marsh, Yes) Truly original series ideas are rare on our television landscape. Especially when the genre in question is British mini-series centered on an investigator trying to find out who murdered someone in a small town. "Buried Secrets," all six of whose episodes are available on Yes VOD, is exactly that kind of series, but thanks to a combination of excellent acting, an interesting climatic twist and beautiful cinematography, it is absolutely worth your time. At the beginning of the series we are treated to breathtaking shots of the fictional town of Morva, on the seashore, which suffers from recurring problems with wind and flooding due to global warming. If you want New Orleans of the kingdom, so to speak. The point in time when we are introduced to the local residents is exactly that, the weather conditions developing in the area indicate that the town will soon have to go into survival mode, but its residents cannot agree on a course of action. Although the weather is a leading motif in "Buried Secrets," there can be no mystery without a murder to drive the plot. Jackie Ellis (the excellent Kelly Reilly from "Yellowstone"), a current elementary school teacher and former police detective, finds her student Kevin in a drainage channel, in what appears to be a drowning. But signs soon emerge that it was not an accident. More on Walla What the hell is going on behind the scenes of the hit series, and how is Israel connected to it? Full article here The story connects to another case that took place three years earlier, when Nesha, Jackie’s niece, who was also a detective, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and her partner Eric (Rafe Spall, "Trying") was unable to solve the case. Now that it seems the two cases may be linked, the former detective and the current detective must work together to unravel them, answer the families, and do it all quickly enough so the weather does not erase the evidence. Those looking for original television that does not remind them of anything they have watched before will probably not even give "Buried Secrets" a chance, but it must be said that it is very good for its genre. Kelly Reilly and Rafe Spall complement each other well in performances as two tormented types hiding major secrets, and the bad blood between them maintains healthy tension in a series that sometimes moves a little slowly. The clever blend of climate issues into the suspense plot makes "Buried Secrets" an excellent weekend binge.