Joan Reeves

The Last Ship is the best action adventure TV series I've seen in a while. The premise of the global pandemic is eerily prophetic—this from a series begun in 2014 and concluded in 2018, a year before that damned CoVid virus escaped or was released in China. The action is compelling and edge of the seat suspenseful. The characters are appealing and admirable. You'll cry when several popular characters meet their doom. No one is safe. The ship, the Nathan James, is a character in itself. Basically, the ship and its crew are tasked with saving the world. The ship, its dedicated crew, and the command staff represent the hope for freedom and the return of the United States to the country we've always known and loved. The characterization of men and women who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may not only live but live in freedom rather than in tyranny is appealing on a soul-deep level. The acting is superb. I can't praise the cast highly enough especially the main "impact" actors are: Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin, Rhona Mitra, Charles Parnell, Marissa Neitling, Travis Van Winkle, Bren Foster, Jocko Sims, Kevin Michael Martin, Christina Elmore, Maximiliano Hernandez, Elisabeth Rohm, John Pyper-Ferguson, Mark Moses, and Alfre Woodard. When I watch productions like this that are based on conflict grounded in human nature, it's scary. With all that's going on in the world, it's easy to believe that the whole damned thing could fall apart in a global crisis like the one presented in The Last Ship. Years before our own personal global pandemic of CoVid, Brinkley wrote his book. This series premiered in 2014. How prophetic it proved to be. The only difference is that more than half of the world's population did not die in the real global pandemic. Absolutely watch The Last Ship. It's worth every thrilling moment. You might not want to start this at night because you'll binge watch until way past bedtime and be anxious to dive in the next morning.

If you're looking for an edge-of-the-seat thriller, you must watch Thirteen Lives, an Amazon Prime Original movie directed by Ron Howard. Based on the 2918 daring rescue of 12 Thai boys and their coach who were trapped in a flooded cave, the film starring Viggo Mortenson and Colin Farrell is a taut retelling of that event. Like most "based on true event" movies, not all of the details are told, but that doesn't take away from Thirteen Lives. Harrowing doesn't begin to describe the story. Even though you may know the outcome, the movie is a real nail biter. It's also inspiring that, in the face of such danger, people of many nations can come together and work to save others.

Go into this with an open mind and forget trying to tie the Netflix series THE LINCOLN LAWYER to the books, and you'll find the series well-written, well-acted, and entertaining. The series has a compelling story, excellent cast, and likable characters like Mickey Haller who is imperfect but who is guided by a moral compass that is sometimes at odds with the realities of his world. If you're looking for something intelligent and well-written, definitely watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix.

Amazing series which is no surprise since it stars J. K. Simmons who is amazing in every role. Finding a series this intelligent—this compelling—is like finding a diamond in a pile of coal. Amazing story and amazing characterizations make this a must watch series.

You may know from the title what this movie is about, but there are some surprises as the narrative unfolds that will keep you interested and entertained. The ending, even though it's a bit too tidy a wrap-up, does have an interesting twist that you probably won't see coming.