There were some terrific dramas on television in 2024. Shogun (FX Networks/Disney+ in Canada) was a big budget movie a week, an impressive, uber subtitled effort and an example of Vancouver crew work at its finest. Kudos as well to Golden Globe nominated Hiroyuki Sanada as lead actor. Franklin, on AppleTV+, was another international, historical
I’ve always been a big fan of Albert and David Maysles. The “direct cinema” documentatians went on to make Gimmie Shelter (1970) and Grey Gardens (1975). Before those films, the brothers captured lightning in a bottle with their black and white record of The Beatles first visit to America in February of 1964. Unlike The
Two years ago, Disney’s eight hour trip back to the late ’60s, director Peter Jackson’s “Get Back,” sold a lot of streaming subscriptions. Jackson spent several years transferring, digitizing and rendering in 5K glory 56 hours of 16mm footage. It was all done to scrub the stink off what was thought to be a record
I’m old enough to remember seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. That “really big shew” happened on February 9, 1964 – 60 years ago. I remember my dad going on about their long hair and those so-called Beatle wigs. I could not, however, take my eyes off them, and neither could a then-record
Maureen Donaldson would tell such outrageous stories you’d swear she was making it all up. Who packs all this into one life: a May-September affair with Cary Grant? A parrot that once belonged to Muhammad Ali? A first job with The Beatles? Word came via a Facebook posting this week from mutual friend Ray Bennett
EPISODE LAUNCHES MONDAY MORNING: At brioux.tv, most podcasts deal with the people who make television memories. What about, however, people who collect TV memorabilia? We’re talking toys and games, trading cards, comic books, autographs and puzzles? Meet Canada keeper of every boomer’s childhood memories: Bruce Button (above). For close to 50 years, Button has been
Are you Beatled out already? Was nearly eight hours of Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” documentary simply All Too Much? Some of us can never get enough Fab Four but even if you’re not a big Beatles fan, I recommend “If These Walls Could Sing,” streaming now on Disney+. The documentary was directed by Mary McCartney,
If you thought Pluto TV was something you’d only find on Disney+, don’t be Goofy. Pluto TV, which hails from the same U.S.-based media giant as Paramount+ and CBS, is actually the world’s leading FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) service. It made its debut in Canada December 1, with a very compelling four word pitch: