"Hunters" Packs Nazi-Punching Thrills and a Kick-Ass Group of Justice-Seekers

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 16, YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO...IT MEANS NO!

A Prime Original, Watch for Free With a Subscription

82/100 “sweet”

Review of Prime Video’s Hunters:

Ever want to see acting veteran Al Pacino lead a group of justice-seekers going around the US slaughtering Nazis, well here’s your chance with Prime Video’s terrific new show Hunters. What it’s about is a wealthy man named Meyer Offerman (Pacino) who survived the Holocaust brings together a group of “Nazi hunters” to hunt down and kill any remaining Nazis in ‘70’s America. However, when Jonah’s (Logan Lerman) Safta is murdered, he is also recruited to the team to solve a massive conspiracy theory. The cast, headlined by Pacino, is excellent, with Lerman also shining as the code-breaking teenager Jonah. The first seven episodes or so were pretty much pitch-perfect, and despite slowing down a little in the eighth and utterly jumping the shark in the ninth, the twists and turns in the finale help the show keep its ground. The episodes are fairly long, especially the pilot, which clocks at about 90 minutes with the rest running at an hour or so—however, no matter what you think of the occasionally absurd turns in the plot, you will be entertained. One thing that could very well be questioned are the fictionalization of many events that occured in the Holocaust, but the show still brings considerable justice to the terrible events. The rest of the crew are also pretty damn epic, including Sister Harriet (Kate Mulvany being awesome), Roxy Jones (Tiffany Boone as one of the best characters in the show), Lonny Flash (a stand-out Josh Radnor), Joe (Louis Ozawa Changchien packing heat) and couple Mindy and Murray (terrific chemistry between Carol Kane and Sal Rubinek). There’s also an FBI agent named Millie on their tale (a stellar Jerrika Hinton) and don’t forget those darn Nazis, played most notably by Greg Austin, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin. Basically, despite trying to make it a large-scale Marvel flick in the penultimate episode, Hunters is exceptionally strong, stylish TV.

Should you Binge, Browse, or Skip?

Hunters may be fiction and lose a little steam towards the end, but this Tarantino-light Nazi-hunting show makes great usage of Al Pacino’s excellent lead performance, stylish direction and a deft blend of humor and horror for a rock-solid, entertaining show

I would say…BINGE IT

By: Keaton Marcus

Locke and Key

By Quinn Marcus

(2020)

Age: 11+

70/100: Sweet/Sour

Locke and Key may not be perfect, but its imaginative world and dazzling visuals should be enough to satisfy fans of fantasy. On February 7th, Netflix released the show Locke and Key based on the popular graphic novel. The story is as follows: The Locke siblings and mother decide to move to their ancestral estate after the father is mysteriously murdered. While in the Locke estate, the family starts to find magical keys, each with certain abilities. Could these keys have something to do with their father’s death? Or are they objects that connect to a dark past long forgotten? When I watched the trailer, I truly got goosebumps and was hyped for the show. I was disappointed to find that it wasn’t as full with tension as I thought it would be. In fact, it was sometimes too kid friendly. There were some dark themes throughout the show, but the scares and tension were not at their peak. The cast did pretty well, none of the performances were revolutionary, but they all seemed to do a good job. Besides the creativity that the story had to offer, nothing else really stood out in the show. The script was decent, but not that smart. The visuals were twisted and weird. Which is exactly what made them really good. The story created a lot of fun ideas that made the show entertaining. It starts off pretty slow, but as the ideas keep coming, you decide to take the ride. Overall, would I binge it? No way, it’s not worth it. The best I’ll give it is a browse. However, as the first season showed promise, I’m ready for another one.

Is it a skip, a browse or a binge, I say… BROWSE IT

Poster for Locke and Key, 2020

"Star Trek Picard" Brings Back Patrick Stewart in Rock-Solid Series

By: Keaton Marcus

A Prime Original, Watch for Free With a Subscription

81/100 “sweet”

Review of Prime Video/CBS’ Star Trek Picard:

A joint production involving both Prime Video and CBS, Star Trek Picard has brought back veteran Patrick Stewart in the newest installment to the massive, sprawling inter-connected universe. And it’s good, damn good. The main character is still Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, but he acts alongside Isa Briones as a mysterious woman who gets attacked by aliens dubbed the Romulans, and after seeing a vision of Picard, she looks to him for safety. Surprisingly, it not only finds solid emotional depth, but is also a thoroughly entertaining, suitably action packed continuation. It perhaps isn’t as exciting or thrilling as someone could expect, though Stewart and Briones have firm chemistry and the original plot will please both Trekkies and non fan-boys. I’ve only seen the pilot of the show, which clocks at about 45 minutes, but I would love to see what path the show will take. The story is both easy to follow and complex at the same time and while it requires a bit of patience, it’s very well-made. Also, the production design and CGI is top-notch, giving action-hungry viewers more than enough to chew on. What’s interesting as well is to see Prime Video get into the sci-fi business again after they completed their hit show The Expanse last year and thankfully, fans of that show will absolutely adore this one.

Should you Binge, Browse, or Skip?

Star Trek Picard is should be a bit more thrilling, though Patrick Stewart’s triumphant return and dazzling production design should be more than enough for die-hard fans. I would say…BINGE IT

Star Trek: Picard

By Quinn Marcus

(2020)

Age: 13+

82/100: Sweet

I may not be a Star Trek addict, but they have made very strong movies and shows. Picard instantly got me hooked on the first episode with Patrick Stewart’s electric performance and incredible visuals. As the story opens, we are given a more relaxed and beautiful mood from the show. Commander Jean-Luc Picard quits star fleet after one of his missions went terribly wrong. He then retires to his vineyard, Chateau Picard. However, he’s brought back into action soon enough as a mysterious young woman named Dahj requests help from only him. Picard discovers that Dahj may have connections to his own past. While the show may be slow moving and sometimes boring, there is just enough mystery and suspense to keep you wanting more. To add on, Patrick Stewart is at his best in every scene that he does. Mostly because he has an excellent and intelligent script to work with in an interesting story. The visuals are top notch and eye popping. When present, the action is truly exhilarating and something to watch. I did not binge watch the show, it’s hard to when the episodes are all around 45 minutes long. While hard core Star Trek fans would binge the show, for everyone else it will most likely be a browse.

Is it a skip, a browse or a binge I say… BROWSE IT

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard

Video Block

Double-click here to add a video by URL or embed code. Learn more