Category Archives: Apple TV

Stand up comedian Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal in Supernatural Elements “Before”

Apple TV, drama, episodic, thriller,

Stand-up comedy legend Billy Crystal stars with Judy Light in Apple TV’s Before. The character-driven psychological thriller is about Eli, played by Crystal, a dysfunctional child psychiatrist, which is not a shocker. Psychiatrists are crazy and commit crimes; they’re nuts.

Twists, Secrets, and Unanswered Questions

Apple TV’s Before is a 10-episode series following Eli, who recently lost his wife, Lynn, played by Judy Light.

The Mysterious Connection Between Eli and Noah

Eli encounters a troubled young boy who seems to have a haunting connection with Eli’s past, with some horrendous secret past.

Blitz

“Blitz” Starring Saoirse With Director McQueen

Apple TV, drama, , ,
Apple TV's Blitz

Directed by Steve McQueen, Blitz follows George’s epic journey, played by Elliott Heffernan. He’s a 9-year-old mixed-race London boy during World War II whose mother, Rita, played by Saoirse Ronan, sends him to safety in the English countryside.

A Child’s Journey Through Wartime London

George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and grandfather, Gerald (played by Paul Weller), in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril. At the same time, a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.

Themes of Family, Resilience, and Identity

The movie examines themes of family separation, racial identity, courage, and community solidarity. It amplifies the struggles of ordinary people forced into extraordinary situations.

Other movies directed by McQueen:

Widows

Occupied City

12 Years a Slave

Red, White and Blue

Wanda at her best in Where's Wanda?

“Where’s Wanda?” Dark Comedy

Apple TV, comedy, episodic, foreign, mystery,
Where's Wanda?

The Series Balances Humor and Suspense

Apple TV says that Where’s Wanda? is its first German-language series. It’s a dark comedy that follows Dedo and Carlotta Klatt as they desperately try to locate their missing 17-year-old daughter, Wanda.

The Mystery Behind Wanda Klatt’s Disappearance

Wanda disappeared months ago without a trace. The police fail to find her, and the family takes matters into their own hands. They obtain surveillance devices with the help of their tech-savvy son, Ole.

Secrets Hidden in the Town of Sundersheim

The Klatt family even disguise themselves as employees of an electrical company so that they can bug their neighborhood and half their suburb. As they investigate the disappearance of their daughter, they secretly spy on their neighbors to find out what goes on behind closed doors. None of their neighbors is who they pretend to be.

The last of the sea women

“The Last of the Sea Women” Documentary

Apple TV, documentary, foreign movie

What Is The Last of the Sea Women About?

Sue Kim directed the documentary The Last of the Sea Women. It tells the story of an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors who wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats.

The History and Traditions of the Haenyeo Community

Often called real-life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor — without oxygen — to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, with most haenyeo in their 60s, 70s and 80s, their traditions and way of life are in imminent danger.

The Challenges Facing Modern Sea Women

But these fierce, funny, hardworking women refuse to give an inch, aided by a younger generation’s fight to revive their ancestral way of life through social media. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence and infectious sense of empowerment.

The Role of Women in Preserving Cultural Identity

The story unfolds into an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspire a new generation.

Ridley Scott's Napoleon

“Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” Performances That Shine

Apple TV, biography, drama, historical, ,

What Does the Director’s Cut Add?

Napoleon: The Director’s Cut stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader. The film is a fresh and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and swift, ruthless climb to the emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby.

Napoleon and Josephine

Napoleon’s passionate and often turbulent relationship with Josephine is at the heart of the story. The film presents their relationship as a key influence on both his personal life and political decisions.

Napoleon extended edition

The film highlights key events in Napoleon’s life, such as the Siege of Toulon and his imperial coronation. Among the events in the movie are the Battle of Austerlitz, the invasion of Russia, his first exile to Elba, the Battle of Waterloo, and his eventual defeat.

Vanessa Kirby

What Is Different in the Director’s Cut?

The Director’s Cut significantly elevates the theatrical release. Director Ridley Scott introduces new material, delivering a far more penetrating exploration of Napoleon’s ambitions, military genius, and complex personal life.

The director’s cut also delves deeper into Josephine’s origin story and features more extravagant costumes, new, larger-than-life sets, and the previously unreleased Battle of Marengo scene.

The audience is also given more details about Napoleon’s demise, from his attempted assassination to his failed invasion of Russia.

La Maison a French series

“La Maison” Fashion Empire in Crisis

Apple TV, episodic, foreign, , , , , , ,
La Maison, Foriegn series

French Language Drama Series on Apple TV+

Like Succession, the story depicts the drama and challenges behind the scenes at a famous fashion brand. La Maison explores how the company responds to a scandal and must change. It starts with a viral video featuring star designer Vincent Ledu, played by Lambert Wilson, leaving his family’s iconic and legendary haute couture house, LEDU, hanging by a thread.

Perle Foster, played by Amira Casar, Vincent’s former muse still in his shadow, collaborates with visionary next-generation designer Paloma Castel, played by Zita Hanrotto, to save, evolve, and renew the century-old Maison LEDU.

Family Feuds and Corporate Warfare

Taking advantage of Vincent’s demise, Diane Rovel, played by Carole Bouquet, the ruthless CEO of the powerful Rovel luxury group, launches an offensive to acquire what she sees as her most important prize: Maison LEDU. To achieve her goal, anything is fair game, as this is about more than just acquiring another brand. It’s also about revenge.

Familia De Medianoche

“Familia De Medianoche (Midnight Family)” Storyline

Apple TV, drama, episodic, foreign, true stories, , ,

Inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name, “Midnight Family” follows Marigaby Tamayo, an ambitious and gifted medical student by day.

She spends her nights saving lives aboard her family’s privately owned ambulance in sprawling, contrasted, and fascinating Mexico City.

Along with her father, Ramón, and her siblings, Marcus and Julito, Marigaby serves a population of millions by tackling extreme medical emergencies to make a living.

slow horses with gary oldman

“Slow Horses” Season 4 Storyline

Apple TV, based on a book, British, crime, drama, episodic,

Slow Horses is a darkly humorous espionage drama that follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 known unaffectionately as Slough House. Season four opens with a bombing that detonates personal secrets, rocking the already unstable foundations of Slough House.

Gary Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but misanthropic leader of the spies. The spies end up at Slough House due to career-ending mistakes, frequently blundering through the smoke and mirrors of the espionage world.

The returning ensemble cast includes Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Kadiff Kirwan, and Jonathan Pryce.

Disclaimer

“Disclaimer” Storyline and Image

Apple TV, based on a book, thriller,

Disclaimer is a gripping psychological thriller with seven chapters starring Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline.

Written and directed by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, it is based on Renée Knight’s bestselling novel of the same name. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft, played by Blanchett, built her reputation by revealing others’ misdeeds and transgressions. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets.

As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys her life and her relationships with her husband Robert, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, and their son Nicholas, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee.

The ensemble cast includes Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George and Hoyeon, and features Indira Varma as the narrator.

Other films directed by Cuaron:

Gravity

Children of Men

And Your Mother Too

Roma

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Vince Vaugh in Bad Monkey

“Bad Monkey” Storyline

Apple TV, based on a book, episodic
Bad Monkey with Vince Vaughn

Based on Carl Hiaasen’s New York Times bestselling novel and enduring favorite, Bad Monkey, the series makes its global debut on Apple TV+. In the series, Vince Vaughn portrays Andrew Yancy, a character who got bounced from the Miami Police Department and now works as a Keys health inspector.

But after stumbling upon a case that begins with a human arm fished up by tourists, he realizes that if he can prove murder, he’ll be back in the police force. He must get past a trove of Floridian oddballs and one bad monkey.