#COVID-19-BINGE-FEST - Ramy (Season 1 & 2)

The #COVID-19-BINGE-FEST continues before I start phase two of my TV lists, COVID-19 CATCH UP TV. Which would have been a perfect place for Ramy Seasons 1 & 2. The show debuted in April 2019, the second season recently appeared on Stan in Australia (Hulu internationally) in May of this year.


Emmy nominated, this is a truly fabulous show. The show has already won a Golden Globe and a couple of other awards.

Ramy Youssef is outstanding as the lead Ramy whilst in season two Mahershala Ali joins as Sheikh Ali Malik.

The entire cast is awesome, the show explores many themes while also feeling exceptional honest.

I feel like it's a male version of Insecure. Main changes Ramy is on the East Coast, Insecure the West Coast, Ramy is Muslim and Issa on Insecure is a strong black independent woman.

I enjoyed both seasons a lot. I probably to be honest enjoyed the second more and have to say I am extremely happy Hulu have renewed the show for a third season.

Where will Ramy go in season three? I am excited to find out!

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Train to Busan {RETRO}

Original Release date -
13 May 2016 (Cannes)
20 July 2016 (South Korea)

The cinema is doing something a little different at present to try and get folks back to the cinema. One thing is showing old favourites. Train to Busan was originally released in 2016, however a new film Peninsula (a film set in the same universe as Train to Busan) is set to open in Australia this weekend.

I only heard good things about this film, I could have seen it on Netflix, but I wanted to support my local cinema.

Yes the cinemas are doing it mega tough right now. Nostalgia is popular too right now so this should work? On paper yes, but my session was really poorly attended.



Now to the film, I really enjoyed this South Korean zombie picture.

It was way more edge of the seat stuff than recent The Walking Dead seasons.

The film moved fast, the characters died even faster, so I am interested to see the direction the next film goes in.

If you want a double South Korean zombie film fest this weekend Train to Busan x Peninsula might just be what you are after.

As this will not be in the running to make my end of year list I will give it a very generous but compelling 4 stars.

The South Koreans are killing it right now in the arts TV/film world!

#COVID-19-BINGE-FEST - Crash Landing on You

I have always wanted to get into K Dramas, so why not start out with a huge hit like, Crash Landing on You.

Or in Korean: 사랑의 불시착. Starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Kim Jung-hyun, and Seo Ji-hye.

The story revolves around a totally believable plot,  a South Korean chaebol heiress paragliding in Seoul, gets swept up in a sudden storm and crash-lands in the North Korea.

The show is available now to stream on Netflix, following it airing in native South Korea as well as China. It was a runaway hit in China, the hashtag for the drama's finale received over 460 million views on China's Weibo.



If you are keen on a romantic drama from abroad this could be for you. Warning the episodes are super long, some episodes feature a lot of crying and yelling, however the comedy mixed in is good to balance it all out.

Whilst it's a little South vs North Korea, it was a fun start to my no doubt love of Korean dramas during the binge/catch up TV time.

#COVID-19-BINGE-FEST - Hanna (Season 1 & 2)

Hanna is the latest Amazon Prime series I have given a go. Based on the 2011 film of the same name, the series was created and written by David Farr whilst starring Esme Creed-Miles as lead and title character of the show Hanna.

The series was recently renewed for a third season, good news for me as I have just binged season one and two.



Here is a brief synopsis of the series -

Hanna is a 15-year-old girl living with Erik, the only man she has ever known, as her father, in a remote part of a forest in Poland. Erik once recruited pregnant women into a CIA program, code name UTRAX, where the children's DNA was enhanced with 3% wolf in order to create super-soldiers. When Erik falls in love with Johanna, Hanna's mother, he rescues baby Hanna and they flee. The CIA then orders their on-site agent, Marissa, to shut down the project and eliminate all the babies.

My option? Hanna is a bold female lead action series. Esme Creed-Miles is wonderful as lead role Hanna whilst Mireille Enos (The Catch) is great as Marissa Wiegler.

Dermot Mulroney & handsome AF Joel Kinnaman also star.

The action sequences are wonderful however the story does begin to feel a little tired by the end of season two. The movie did so well to wrap a lot up in it's under two hour running time.

Who knows in this current climate when season three will air, however I will be waiting around for it. It's been a tasty treat thus far (despite some pacing issues) so this is one to stay on my list post COVID restrictions.

(Mini) Monday Spotlight: Dominic Fike

It's a rather BIG (Mini) Monday Spotlight this week, with the debut album from Dominic Fike now streaming!

Dominic Fike on Friday released What Could Possibly Go Wrong, at a time like this this album total could not be more ironic.

14-track debut album from Fike follows on singles like 3 Nights, Acai Bowl and features with artists like Bakar, Halsey and more.

From Fike's youth from Naples, Florida the 24 year old is already globally recognised.

From the catchy tune of 3 Nights to one of his recent Chicken Tenders, if you are not across Dominic Fike yet, get on it.

Stream his debut below via Apple Music or Spotify as well as some previous singles.

More BIG (Mini) Monday Spotlights coming at you each and every Monday in August!

Emmys 2020 Nominations | Predictions

My predictions (or in some cases bias picks) in red and bold.....

Drama Series

Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
Ozark (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)

Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
The Good Place (NBC)
Insecure (HBO)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Limited Series

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Mrs. America (Hulu)
Unbelievable (Netflix)
Unorthodox (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO)


Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Steve Carell (The Morning Show)
Brian Cox (Succession)
Billy Porter (Pose)
Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
Olivia Colman (The Crown)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Zendaya (Euphoria)


Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
Ramy Youssef (Ramy)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me)
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jeremy Irons (Watchmen)
Hugh Jackman (Bad Education)
Paul Mescal (Normal People)
Jeremy Pope (Hollywood)
Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True)

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America)
Shira Haas (Unorthodox)
Regina King (Watchmen)
Octavia Spencer (Self Made)
Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)
Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)
Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies)
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
William Jackson Harper (The Good Place)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
Sterling K. Brown (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Mahershala Ali (Ramy)
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place)
Yvonne Orji (Insecure)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live)
Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek)

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Dylan McDermott (Hollywood)
Jim Parsons (Hollywood)
Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen)
Jovan Adepo (Watchmen)
Louis Gossett Jr. (Watchmen)

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Holland Taylor (Hollywood)
Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America)
Margo Martindale (Mrs. America)
Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America)
Toni Collette (Unbelievable)
Jean Smart (Watchmen)

Reality Competition

The Masked Singer (FOX)
Nailed It (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

Variety Talk Series

Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Television Movie

American Son • Netflix
Bad Education • HBO
Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones • Netflix
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie • Netflix
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend • Netflix

Children’s Program

Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance • Netflix
Star Wars Resistance • Disney Channel
We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest • HBO

Documentary Or Nonfiction Special

The Apollo • HBO
Beastie Boys Story • Apple TV+
Becoming • Netflix
The Great Hack • Netflix
Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time • EPIX

Documentary Or Nonfiction Series

American Masters • PBS
Hillary • Hulu
The Last Dance • ESPN
McMillion$ • HBO
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • Netflix

COVID-Cinema 2020 - Unhinged

So let's restart 2020 cinema reviews with a new look review style, COVID-Cinema 2020. Following my misstep of seeing the woeful Follow Me last weekend, I was pleasantly surprised by the simplistic Unhinged.

Okay now simplistic is not a sledge, I like a movie that takes something simple like road rage, builds on this idea, drops the special effects and over the top drama and rolls with the one simple idea.

For this film, it's Russell Crowe as Tom Hunter, a down and out (most likely Trump voter) who has lost his job, wife and now a younger mother has caught him on a "bad day"

Whilst I admired Russell Crowe's wicked side in the series The Loudest Voice, I never really liked him that much. However like Nicole Kidman I am getting more and more keen on Crowe.



The film is fast and furious in all the good ways. It is roughly ninety minutes and straight to the point. Caren Pistorius as Rachel is Hunter's latest victim.

The film starts out dramatic and ends equally as dramatic.

Look the cinemas are really not back to their hey day yet, however this was a welcome return to the cinema. I strongly recommend seeing this film, supporting your local cinema and seeing the film before it opens in the USA later this month. Well maybe it's been pushed back multiple times!

Unhinged rates 3 100% unhinged stars.