For a story that only has so many big moments – and one that already exists fully-formed in book form with all those moments laid out clearly – I honestly didn’t expect that the second season premiere of House of the Dragon would give us one of them right out of the gate. But that’s […]
Tag: HBO
The Best Show You Aren’t Watching: Hacks
On paper, Hacks seems like a deceptively simple comedy. Pair an older, well-known and battle-tested actor (that would be the great Jean Smart) with a young, relatively unknown actor (that would Hannah Einbinder, who, much like her character, has only grown in strength as the series has played out) and base the show’s comedy on […]
True Detective: Night Country – Part Six Review
Time is a flat circle, indeed, folks. And the finale of True Detective: Night Country was the perfect combination of the elements that made the series work incredibly well, and those pieces that never gelled fully and caused it to wobble throughout its six-episode run. But, while there will certainly be a continued debate among […]
True Detective: Night Country – Part Five Review
Well shit. That was certainly an effective way to end the penultimate episode of True Detective: Night Country. Do I totally buy that Danvers was able to finally get out of her own way to decide to accept that this case is crucially important to solve – and that the mine is dangerous and deadly […]
True Detective: Night Country – Part Four Review
When a series is ostensibly set in the real world – as in a world not dominated by science fiction or fantasy trappings – but still pulls from the realm of the supernatural in its storytelling, there’s a fine line that needs to be walked to ensure that the story remains grounded in reality while […]
Studios, Corporate Greed and Hollywood’s Crisis
Over the past decade, the entertainment industry has seen drastic changes. There has been the rise of streaming services, a focus on big-budget films based on recognisable intellectual property, and an increase in digital media sales at the cost of physical media. In 2023, the Hollywood business model suffered from the detrimental effects of short-term […]
True Detective: Night Country – Part Three Review
We’ve reached the halfway point of True Detective: Night Country, and while some things are starting to slowly tie together, the series appears to be doubling down on the supernatural element of it all while continuing to hold key details of our central characters’ histories from us as the story slow burns its way to […]
True Detective: Night Country – Part Two Review
There’s a lot to unpack with this week’s installment of True Detective: Night Country, from the lingering questions regarding the role the supernatural is playing in the case (or is it something much more mundane, like mental health issues – something that has been suggested with Evangeline’s sister, Julia’s, continued refusal to treat what appears […]
Top Ten TV Shows of 2023
It’s that time of year again. The temperature is dropping, the days are growing shorter, and 2023 is drawing to a close. Which can only mean one thing: It’s time for Pop Culture Maniacs’ annual TV Top Ten list! This year in television was a tumultuous one, as it was for all of Hollywood, with […]
Football Documentary Round-Up
With Fall just around the corner, football season is once again upon us. And, with that comes several football-related documentaries hitting the various streaming services. Having taken a look at a handful of them (I’m a sucker for a sport documentary – I honestly think it might be the sole reason I keep up with […]