After Watching The Grocery List Show, To Say “Who’s Hungry” Goes Without Saying….

The Grocery List Show is coming to PBS soon, and we got a preview! Although this series run is very short, let’s hope this miniseries will grow and show why buying local matters!

The Grocery List ShowWorld Premiere

I’m spending my time checking out the short films being played at the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival and when there’s “food” involved, I have to begin with The Grocery List Show. This five-part series hosted by Chef Chrissy Camba will be available on May 28 on PBS YouTube channel and their app, and it’s an impressive look at what keeps some mom-and-pop type operations alive.

Quite often, after school, I’d stop by my local corner store for a snack and maybe a comic book. They had some essential groceries too, since not everyone wanted to make a longer trip to the market for a jug of milk. Although today’s stores are not like that, the reason is because of how times have changed. Instead of finding next month’s Spider-Man here, it’s only Archie these days. Sometimes, those personalities behind the counter are people I know from either down the street or they live in the suite upstairs.

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The Five Best Animated Spider-Man Series on TV (Past and Present)

When Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man hasn’t acknowledged where it exists in the multiverse, thankfully the beginning and end establishes a tone.

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-ManWhen the original 60s animated Spider-Man series does not age well, that’s because the presentation is vastly outdated when compared to newer material. Interestingly, the latest take, Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, takes the best little bits from that series and mixes it up! I like the new score. Adding a touch of artistic nostalgia from the early comic books creates a winning formula and is part of this list.

It breaks in at number five. I’ll have a review of season one when that finally wraps up and I binge on it a few times. But until then, what I offer is my list of four favourite past series.

I have ranked these series in reverse order, culminating in my top number one favourite.

Spider-Man (2017–2020)

Spider-Man 2017 SeriesAs part of a united, animated universe, this series had its charm by offering animated takes of story arcs published in this century than prior. It makes for a good way to get “caught up” in more recent lore without having to read the original takes. The highlight is the Goblin War story-arc; what makes this series good is that it looks at trying to balance the life of Peter Parker, scientific genius, rather than just a hero.

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Thoughts, Concerns and Praise for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

After giving Star Wars: Skeleton Crew a full watch, I have new hope for what may be offered going forward. Not every series has to be unique. It just has to honour what fans love about this franchise back when George Lucas was in charge.

Star Wars Skeleton Crew PosterThe latest entry to Disney’s Star Wars, curiously titled Skeleton Crew is boldly offering a concept that has been done before. It’s too similar to Star Trek Prodigy. In the world of literature, some fans have compared it to Treasure Island and I agree. Although the circumstances are different, Wym (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is a kid who likes to dream big and wants to explore the galaxy. After discovering a spaceship buried underground, the group he brought together to investigate goes in, and it blasts off into outer space! Pretty soon, this lad, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) are lost in space.

Afterwards, they encounter space pirates. Although they figure out they’re at least not jettsoned to the opposite side of the galaxy, all is not well. They want to go home, but nobody knows where the planet of At Attin is located. All viewers know is that it’s hidden in a sector known as the Unknown Regions. Everyone from this world seems to be involved in some grande experiment, and I have to wonder if the scientists are working on deconstructing the atom? It’d be a terrible pun should that be the case, but there’s a meme to be made with the name of this planet.

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A Bold New Look with Star Trek’s Strange New Worlds

Star Trek Strange New Worlds is almost a return to form even though it exists within the rebooted Kelvin timeline.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds poster features the classic USS EnterpriseStreaming on Paramount+

Some long time fans of Star Trek might investigate the latest, Strange New Worlds (SNW). It’s almost a return to form. Not everyone will take to it, and I’ve spoken to a few of my friends who are steadfast in their opinion in our nerd chats. To be specific, since it’s part of the rebooted Kelvin timeline, there’s no true link with Gene Roddenberry’s creation.

Co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers wanted to produce Star Trek in the way it was originally done, and this series honours that aspect. The stories have given Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethen Peck) and crew more backstory to character development to appreciate. At least the direction is off to a good start.

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Boonie Bears Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary!

Boonie Bears - WikipediaAvailable to Watch on YouTube

Boonie Bears (熊出没) is a hit in China ever since it debuted on Jan 22nd and this year marks their 10th anniversary. This animated series is available to watch across many platforms, and in international markets, Netflix, Sony, YouTube and Disney are doing what they can to show just how beloved these bears are.

This series is similar to other fond long-running franchises featuring talking animals. It’s sometimes takes inspiration from The Land Before Time. The television series is fairly basic, taking on a few tones akin to to Yogi Bear meets Wile E. Coyote, and tends to keep its artistic style simple. The films, however, have progressed from low quality renders to high, and the sequels look better as more companies are investing into this IP. Also, the narratives tackle harder themes so viewers are aware of problems around the world, like eco-terrorism.

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Nothing New in 2021’s Spooktober Offerings Save For…

All of Spooktober’s offerings is about watching how the people and teams function rather than to catch circumstantial evidence.

The Alaska Triangle (TV Series 2020– ) - IMDbVery few paranormal reality investigative shows are worth tuning into as All Hallow’s Eve nears. The problem is that it’s very rare to see a certifiable apparition on live television broadcasts. We’re tuning in to watch how the people and teams function rather than to catch circumstantial evidence in Spooktober’s latest offerings. By watching any series, we’re accepting that this strange dimension manifests itself with the odd “what was that?” moment. 

The ideas offered in The Alaska Triangle are crazy enough to have me want to write up into a Call of Cthulhu role playing game adventure! The second season began with a doozy, by saying a Black Pyramid is hidden beneath the snow. This has me thinking that would make for a great scenario. I’m thinking the Mi-Go is an appropriate enough alien species controlling everything with their mad science and kidnapping of innocents. 

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