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ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: SEASON THREE Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Jesse Williams, and Michael Cyril Creighton Creators: Steve Martin and John Hoffman ADRIANO I'm impressed that after three seasons, Only Murders in the Building continues to push itself beyond its sketch comedy premise and improve on its original idea. Some of its absurdist elements don't entirely work, but this season's intense focus on the characters, beyond just the core three, made this the most captivating season yet. Both the returning and new members of the ensemble work wonders, especially Meryl Streep, whose performance feels like a return to form. I have to imagine there's not much further this concept can go, but if it keeps up this pace, then bring on Season Four. AMARÚ For a while there, I thought there was only so much you could do comedically with Only Murders in the Building , especially with the Steve Martin of it all (*gasp! I separated their names this time!*), but that’s why you get strong performers like Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, and Jesse Williams to infuse new life, their high tides lifting all boats. As this third season goes on, their talent carries the plot and mystery into surprisingly unexpected dramatic places, with Martin Short and Selena Gomez being the primary beneficiaries. The well-built finale also shows that Season Four can hopefully still bring something new. QUENTIN In a vacuum, Only Murders in the Building continues to bring the same elegant murder mystery humor that it always has, with Martin Short especially bringing the heat this season. That said, this is a premise that can only go on for so long before we start getting into the Dexter problem (seriously, how many serial killers did Miami have? And how many murders can happen around these people?). But, if you’re able to look past that without it feeling a little tired and formulaic (it’s pushing it for me, to be honest), Only Murders remains a mostly unmitigated delight. PAIGE Only Murders in The Building maintains its power as a merriment-driven murder mystery show that lets its lead trio (Selina Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin) shine, not to mention that adding Meryl Streep to the cast obviously elevates the material and the overall talent level. However, I can’t help but feel like this season is missing the lovable charm it had in seasons prior, which I think comes down to the fact that we are missing such a key element of the show that makes it what it is: The Arconia.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: SEASON ONE Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez Creators: John Hoffman and Steve Martin AMARÚ The first episode of Only Murders in the Building was rough. I don't know... Maybe the charm of Steve-Martin-Short (yes, I did that) is of a bygone era. Plus, Selena Gomez's flat affect is slightly off-putting. Yet, something kept me watching the next episode, then the next, then suddenly binging all the released episodes until I was waiting impatiently for the finale. Turns out an old-fashioned "Whodunit?" is the kind of fun missing from TV. Gomez grows on you too, mixing modern flavor with nostalgic comedy. Add a great season ending stinger. and the mood is set for more murders. QUENTIN Although it takes an episode or two to get going, Only Murders in the Building easily coasts on the chemistry between Steve Martin and Martin Short. It also playfully mocks the current obsession with true crime podcasts, but in a way that doesn't feel malicious. It's quite charming, actually. The story moves at a solid clip, with several engaging cliffhangers to propel the viewer to the next episode, and the score is delightfully elegant. Selena Gomez doesn't really have the charisma or screen presence to stand toe to toe with the two legends, but it hardly derails the series.

CLICKBAIT Starring: Zoe Kazan, Adrian Grenier, Betty Gabriel, Phoenix Raei, Abraham Lim, Motell Gyn Foster, and Jessica Ann Collins Creators: Tony Ayers and Christian White QUENTIN Clickbait isn't great. The acting is middling and there are two very annoying characters, the sister and the youngest son (it's always the kid). On top of that, the final resolution is random and comes out of nowhere. That said, it lives up to its title. At the end of each episode, it compelled me enough to sit through another generally uninspired hour, which wasn't a huge drag at only eight episodes. It has a lot to say about the dangers of the internet, but this is mostly just a quick mystery binge that you'll forget soon after watching.

Previous Next September 26, 2025 As we decompress and process everything from the Toronto International Film Festival, it's time to gather our thoughts and talk about all the films we had a chance to check out at TIFF 50. Spoiler Alert: There were a lot of them. Frankenstein , No Other Choice , Wake Up Dead Man , Sentimental Value , Hamnet , Roofman , The Smashing Machine ... There were nearly 300 films at this year's festival and Amarú, Nick, Adriano, and our guest Amanda Guarragi are here to talk about all the highs and lows of TIFFTY. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel for all of our latest video content including our Early Reactions, and be sure to give us a thumbs up and comment your thoughts!

DEVIL IN DISGUISE: JOHN WAYNE GACY Starring: Michael Chernus, Gabriel Luna, James Badge Dale, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, Marin Ireland, Augustus Prew, Brandon McEwan, Cricket Brown, and Thom Nyhuus Creator: Patrick Macmanus QUENTIN In the current glut of miniseries about famous serial killers, Devil in Disguise separates itself by bringing a fresh approach to the table. Instead of the typically exploitive path of sensationalizing John Wayne Gacy’s (a terrific Michael Chernus) gruesomeness and depravity on screen, Devil quietly explores the monster’s psychopathy without caricature. It’s a powerfully grounded endeavor, especially because — in a rarity — it truly honors the victims, giving life to those who were taken too soon and the people they left behind. For once, genre fans are reminded that their entertainment is derived from actual tragedy and not faceless MacGuffins. Ryan Murphy’s Monster should take notes. NICK Considering victim neglect (and homophobia) played a large part in the number of murders John Wayne Gacy (Michael Chernus) committed, it's nice to see Patrick McManus' main focus of Devil in Disguise is the victims. It's also the thing that sets this above other true crime dramas. Gacy isn't sensationalized here (as is often the case), but it makes him no less compelling or frightening. This should be the new blueprint for telling these kinds of stories. Had the authorities handled this case with as much care as McManus, some of those boys would still be alive today.

DREAM PRODUCTIONS Starring: Paula Pell, Richard Ayoade, Ally Maki, Kensington Tallman, and Maya Rudolph Creator: Mike Jones NICK On the film side, Pixar has knocked it out of the park with its Inside Out efforts. So, it only makes sense to expand into the Disney+ series library. Dream Productions is the first foray into that realm and it’s… fine. At four half-hour episodes, it’s an easy watch, but the lead character Paula Persimmon (Paula Pell) really feels like a retread of Joy (Amy Poehler). She’s another arrogant character who is adverse to change, and stuck in her old ways. Even her journey of growth is the same thing we’ve seen in Inside Out . It all makes for a harmless, yet unnecessary watch. AMARÚ I was initially worried that Dream Productions was going to tread the same territory Joy (Amy Poehler) did in the first Inside Out ; however, in four concise, tightly written, character-driven episodes, Pixar was able to take the established strengths of workplace mockumentaries and solidly combine them with the ever-expanding world of Riley’s (Kensington Tallman) imagination. Messy drama, stubborn characters, and great voicework, especially from Richard Ayoade and Paula Pell, set up invigorating surprises in a short and sweet package to prove Inside Out has a vast well of unique ideas to create from. PRESTON Borrowing from the successful, documentary style of The Office , Dream Productions continues to reveal the inner workings of Riley’s (Kensington Tallman) mind. The Inside Out mini-series doesn’t take on too much, focusing solely on dreams, as the title suggests, and is a cute and very digestible little series. The characters don’t elicit the same inherent connection that we feel when compared to the emotions, but the mystery of dreams in our own lives makes the overarching story quite compelling. The result is a breezy, smile-on-your-face watch that you can enjoy by yourself or with the whole family.

BILLIONS: THE FINAL SEASON Starring: Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, Dola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon, Kelly Aucoin, Daniel K. Isaac, Dan Soder, Daniel Breaker, Eva Victor, Toney Goins, Dhruv Maheshwari, Louis Cancelmi, Ben Shenkman, Allan Havey, Piper Perabo, and Jeffrey DeMunn Creators: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin NICK Yes, the final season of the underrated Billions makes up for some of Season Six's struggles by bringing back Damian Lewis' Bobby Axelrod, but also by turning Corey Stoll's Michael Prince into a worthy adversary. Stoll's Prince is cold-blooded this season, which takes him from powerful to fearsome. It's an improvement over last season while still maintaining the quippy pop culture references and ability to subvert the expectations of its audience. The finale admittedly lacks a little punch, but it works for what it is, and makes for a fitting goodbye to one of my favourite series of the past 10 years. QUENTIN After seven seasons, the last couple of which were semi-derailed by covid and the tragedy-fueled departure of Damian Lewis, Billions mostly returns to form in its final season. I say “mostly” because it doesn’t fully happen until the later episodes. The first half, while still good and boasting all the typical Billions -isms of incessant pop culture references, random cameos, and witty repartee, is more of a scheme-of-the-week show instead of having an overarching narrative. However, once it focuses on the serialized storyline that often is just background early on, it races to a fun, fitting, and satisfying conclusion for Succession ‘s less-prestigious-but-more-enjoyable counterpart. PRESTON The king of similes, metaphors, and pop-culture historical references is back for its seventh and final season, like a beloved president finishing out their term with the knowledge that things might just never be the same. Billions ran a beautiful course (with the ubiquitous exception of COVID) and knew when and how to call it quits. Although not perfect, this finale continued doing what the series did in its most successful seasons by providing an intriguing story featuring cameo appearances, nostalgic fodder for its loyalists, and a nicely wrapped-up overarching-yet-complicated storyline with a little bow on top.

KALEIDOSCOPE Starring: Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell, Paz Vega, Rosaline Elbay, Jai Courtney, Tati Gabrielle, and Peter Mark Kendall Creator: Eric Garcia AMARÚ I love me some Giancarlo Esposito. And I love me a good heist. But, apparently, a Giancarlo Esposito-led heist series doesn’t guarantee greatness. Netflix’s Kaleidoscope banks on his charm and the heist’s inherent intensity to hook you to something that, without its randomized episode order, would be no more than a predictably generic caper. I started with a non-chronological view of the past, then a chronological post-heist reveal before the finale; that helped build more tension and greater connection to the crew. Filling in those missing pieces out of order covered for, when viewed in order, a formulaic story. Order watched: Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, Violet, Red, Pink, White PAIGE While Kaleidoscope 's unique and clever storytelling approach delivers an engaging, binge-worthy watch, I’m sad to report that the end result does not reach its full potential, leaving me unsatisfied. Don’t get me wrong, the concept is fascinating. Telling a story by jumping to different time periods within these characters’ lives, leading to an elaborate heist, is such a brilliant and distinctive way to tell a story like this; however, the last few episodes about the heist and its aftermath are just weak and not fleshed out enough to tie the series together coherently. Order watched: Yellow, Green, Orange, Violet, Blue, Red, Pink, White QUENTIN As a gimmick and narrative, Kaleidoscope doesn’t completely work. The “watch-the-episodes-in-any-order” approach means that the viewer will inherently lose tension and mystery depending on the order watched. Also, given the bingeable structure and episode formatting (i.e., “Seven Years Before the Heist,” “Five Days Before the Heist,” etc.), it’s not always easy to remember when in the timeline key plot points are subtly hinted at, making certain revelations less clever than they could be. Still, all that aside, Giancarlo Esposito is never not compelling, Jai Courtney is always a fun loose cannon, and there are enough episodic heist elements to keep fans of the genre engaged. Order watched: Green, Yellow, Blue, Violet, Orange, Red, Pink, White

Previous Next July 30, 2025 Disney is returning to the world of Zootopia with the long-awaited sequel to their 2016 hit. Amarú is back with his reaction for the first official trailer of Zootopia 2 , starring Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Idris Elba, plus newcomers Ke Huy Quan & Quinta Brunson. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channlel for all of our latest video content including our Early Reactions, and be sure to give us a thumbs up and comment your thoughts!

SECRET INVASION Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Charlayne Woodard, Don Cheadle, and Kingsley Ben-Adir Creator: Kyle Bradstreet AMARÚ The MCU could have benefited from Secret Invasion ’s grounded tone about three years ago… as a movie. Finally getting to know Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) through a stunning post-blip examination, propelled by actors ACTING their asses off, generates an intensely thrilling first four episodes. Kingsley Ben-Adir is ferociously intimidating, Jackson’s dynamic with Ben Mendelsohn and Charlayne Woodard is organically brilliant, and Olivia Colman and Don Cheadle are deliciously mischievous. But the 6-episode structure continues to be this medium’s downfall, dampening the early successes with a rushed, uninspired, and disappointing ending to what was initially becoming the MCU’s best Disney+ series. QUENTIN Guys, I think it might have finally happened: I may have contracted the dreaded Marvel Fatigue. I say that because, terrible finale aside, I can’t point to one explicitly “bad” thing about Secret Invasion . It’s all, at best, very serviceable, from the action to the acting. However, I just could not bring myself to care about any of it. Maybe it’s because it builds on characters from Captain Marvel (one of my least favorite MCU movies), or maybe it’s just a boring, superficial take on a popular story that deserved much, much more. Either way, this is one of the least engaging MCU shows yet. ADRIANO I did not like Secret Invasion . I don’t think it’s Marvel Fatigue talking either; I just think this show is bad. The cast does a good job, namely Samuel L. Jackson in the best portrayal of Nick Fury in the MCU, and there is some intrigue hidden in there somewhere, but not enough to hold my attention beyond the Fury of it all. Instead, what we get are stakes that I never felt, uninteresting writing, and to be blunt, an embarrassing final episode. I wanted to like Secret Invasion , but I simply didn’t have much reason to. PAIGE Secret Invasion proves once again that Marvel Czar Kevin Feige is stretched way too thin. With such a subpar script, this show felt like it didn’t warrant a series at all. It’s ultimately unfortunate because Secret Invasion is filled with a stacked cast, from Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) to Olivia Colman (Sonya Falsworth), who deliver the best performances they possibly can despite dealing with this weak story. With the miniseries overall being mediocre, it admittedly ended with some big ideas that could come to fruition in future MCU projects. JACOB Were it not for its connection to the wider MCU, Secret Invasion would be a fine – if mostly disposable – limited series. Unfortunately, that connection is simultaneously its most alluring element and the thing that ultimately undoes it all. It begins interestingly enough, with Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik seeming a good foil for Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) inaction vis-à-vis the Skrulls, but the writing quickly turns him into a caricature, along with most other characters. In fact, the only performer having any fun seems to be Olivia Colman. And it all comes with newfound continuity errors that cheapen previous MCU growth. What a mess.

Previous December 31, 2024 Next A BITESIZE CHAT WITH JONATHAN MEDINA Actor Jonathan Medina (The Purge, The Terminal List, Fear the Walking Dead) joins Amarú to talk about his newest role as Uncle Jay in Amazon Freevee's Primo, the hopes for a 2nd season, and his unabashed love for Doctor Who. Make sure to check out Primo: Season One now on Amazon Freevee. Interview conducted on June 8th, 2023 by Amarú Moses. Photo Credits: Banner - Jonny Marlow; Photo 1 - Amazon Studios; Photo 2 - AMC

THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON: SEASON ONE Starring: Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Anne Charrier, Adam Nagaitis, Laïka Blanc-Francard, and Romain Levi Creator: David Zabel NICK If AMC wants to continue doing The Walking Dead spin-offs, they need to find ways to stand alone. Daryl Dixon does that. It looks different, it sounds different (half of the series is in French, and the English features a realistic amount of swearing for a zombie apocalypse), and it finally expands on the idea of the variant walkers introduced in World Beyond . I was skeptical of Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon as a series lead, but this endeavor actually provides some of the best work Reedus has done as the character in quite some time. Bring on The Book of Carol.