Author: rb809rb

This may be the most obvious observation of all time, but it must be said: “Reacher” works because of Reacher. The hit Amazon Prime Video series, based on the novels by Lee Child and currently wrapping up its fourth season, is a vessel for star Alan Ritchson and his remarkable physique, which his drifter character puts to use by clobbering numerous bad guys across the United States in a variety of inventive ways. (Before Ritchson, the eponymous action hero was played in two movies by Tom Cruise, who may lack his successor’s bulk but made up for it in star power.) There’s a difference between formulaic pulp that’s disposable and the kind that’s a comforting delight, and on “Reacher,” that difference is Ritchson.

All this to say is that Frances Neagley (Maria Sten, also of “Reacher”) is no Jack Reacher, and therefore the new spinoff “Neagley” is nowhere near as fun to watch as its flagship show. The most enjoyable scenes by far in the eight-episode season are the first few, when Reacher stops by to pass the baton to his ex-military comrade, now a private investigator in Chicago. Reacher helps Neagley foil a kidnapping attempt; then the two attend a Cubs game for some bestie bonding where Reacher’s mass and Neagley’s glower makes them stick out like sore thumbs. Cute!

But then Reacher splits off for his next adventure and Neagley is left to shoulder an entire show on her own. Co-created by Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton, “Neagley” begins with the heroine’s childhood friend Tommy Crane (Jhaleil Swaby) stripping naked and walking calmly in front of an L train. The mystery his death introduces proves flat and uninteresting, with none of the buzzy elements stuffed haphazardly into the plot — cults! Big Pharma! maimed penises! — executed with enough verve to inject any life into the proceedings. And while Sten performs capably in the (sporadic, perfunctory) action scenes, her taciturn protagonist declaring that “I don’t have trauma” can’t reverse psychology the viewer into genuine curiosity.

That’s because Neagley is a collection of hard-surface, soft-heart tropes that never achieve independent momentum. Some shortcuts to emotional weight even feel counterproductive: in addition to Tommy, Neagley gets both an ailing father — an ex-cop who showed her the ropes — and a couple of mentees as loved ones with built-in stakes. But it’s hard to watch these thinly sketched relationships and not think of “Reacher,” which partly works because its hero is so free of roots or baggage. One of that show’s insights is that such exposition can get in the way of pure, brainless entertainment; it’s odd to watch a spinoff discard such inherited wisdom.

Other details simply fail to inspire much intrigue. Neagley doesn’t like to be touched, a quirk that doesn’t become any more effective a hook for how often characters use the condition’s medical name (haphephobia — the more you know!) when discussing it. “Neagley” tries to pad out the investigation into Tommy’s death with a look at Neagley’s own past, but neither her backstory nor that of her reluctant partner Hudson (Greyston Holt), a Chicago PD detective attempting to distance himself from his criminal family, make much of an impact beyond filling space.

Even Echo Canyon, the shady communal farm where Tommy spent his final days, is oddly banal for a messianic cult. “Neagley” sometimes flirts with comedy in the form of leader Lawrence Cole (Damon Herriman), a dime-store Manson who forces his followers to listen to his bad rock covers and unironically quotes Depeche Mode in declaring himself a “personal Jesus.” (Lawrence’s financial backer Pierce, played by Matthew Del Negro, gets his own chance to gnash his teeth when he informs a victim that “watching you die, I’m hard as a rock.”) But besides these flashes of fun, the show proves reluctant to lean into either camp or distinctive detail. Lawrence’s chief deputy Judith (Rebecca Liddiard) has awfully composed hair and makeup for a hippie who’s left polite society; street kid Keno (Jasper Jones), who Neagley recruits to infiltrate the farm, has an immaculate six-pack despite not having access to a hot shower, let alone a gym. The viewer remains acutely aware they’re watching professional actors impersonate vague stereotypes of cult members rather than an immersive take on the genre.

In light of this ersatz feel, the constant invocations of Neagley’s military record for authenticity ring hollow. (When she reminds a scene partner that “I’ve been in combat” halfway through the season, it’s hard to resist shouting back: “We know!”) The rough outline of what happened to Tommy is apparent within a few episodes, and without that source of suspense, “Neagley” quickly loses steam. With “Reacher,” the show’s namesake has become a reason to watch in and of himself. That’s simply not the case here.

All eight episodes of “Neagley” will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 16.

Does Spotify think you absolutely love “Baby Shark” because your kids have listened to it hundreds of times — and as a result recommends similar stuff? If you’ve ever encountered this conundrum, here’s good news: Spotify is finally letting parents keep nursery rhymes, Disney princess songs and other kiddie tunes out of their own music recommendations.

Starting Sept. 15, Spotify is giving parents the ability to exclude kids and family music from their recommendations, including the annual Wrapped marketing campaign. In promoting the new feature, the company is telling subscribers to “Keep your recommendations yours.”

“Parents love using Spotify to play music for their families. But parents don’t always share the same taste as their young children,” the company noted (rather obviously) in announcing the feature.

The new ability to toggle off kids and family music from influencing a Spotify user’s taste profile is rolling out globally on mobile to Free and Premium users. When you turn the setting off, “you can still search for, listen to, and build playlists of kids and family music — but those streams won’t affect what Spotify suggests for you,” per Spotify. “That means experiences like Discover Weekly, Daily Mix, and Wrapped more accurately reflect your taste.” The feature also applies retroactively, so kids’ music you’ve already listened to won’t be factored into your Wrapped top song or artist, for example.

Kids and family music on Spotify includes the following, according to the company: animated and live-action film soundtracks; theme songs and music from family TV shows; music from family entertainment brands and characters; family-friendly covers of popular songs; nursery rhymes and lullabies; sing-along, educational and activity music; and novelty and parody tracks for families.

The new feature is “the latest step in our ongoing efforts to give parents and guardians more control over how they and their kids listen,” according to Spotify.

The company’s existing tools provide the ability to exclude specific tracks or playlists from your taste profile. Meanwhile, in 2024, Spotify first launched managed accounts, designed to let parents with kids 13 and under their own space to discover music while maintaining control over their listening environment. In addition, the company offers the stand-alone Spotify Kids app, available to Spotify Premium Family plan subscribers, which provides a walled-off experience for young children.

Here’s how to toggle off kids and family music from your Spotify profile:

And here’s an image from Spotify’s publicity campaign about the new feature:

The Hawai’i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani will open its 46th edition, HIFF46, with the world premiere of “The Navigator,” directed by Jordan Manley, at the historic Hawai’i Theatre Center.

“The Navigator” is a made in Hawai’i documentary centered on Nainoa Thompson, who nearly half a century ago became the first Native Hawaiian in 600 years to sail from Hawai’i to Tahiti using no modern instruments. The documentary follows him on a 2,400-mile return voyage accompanied by a new generation of trainee wayfinders, drawing on wisdom instilled by master navigator Mau Piailug. The screening also marks HIFF’s first opening night held at the Hawai’i Theatre Center since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“It is a tremendous honor for HIFF to open our 46th Festival with the world premiere of ‘The Navigator,’ a film that could not be more deeply connected to Hawai’i and to who we are as a festival,” said Jean H. Lee, HIFF executive director. Lee added that Nainoa Thompson’s legacy “represents the reclamation and perpetuation of ancestral knowledge, a living connection across Oceania, and the responsibility to pass that knowledge to the next generation.”

HIFF46’s centerpiece presentation is the Hawai’i premiere of “Drifter,” the feature directorial debut of actor and filmmaker Sung Kang, who also wrote, produced and stars in the film. Set against the drifting subculture, the story centers on a lone racetrack janitor carrying old wounds, who gets one shot at redemption behind the wheel if he can learn to trust those around him.

The festival features 84 films in total, including 34 world premieres, six North American Premieres, 12 U.S. premieres and three international premieres, alongside selections from Cannes, Sundance, Berlin and Busan. The program also includes 86 short films; HIFF is the only Academy Award-qualifying film festival in the state of Hawai’i for short films.

The festival’s 24 individual premiere titles include world premieres “Beyond the Smiles: Yani Tseng,” “Making the Line,” “Niu Forever,” “Orphan Myth,” “Sukiyaki” and “Protecting Kahoʻolawe: 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina”; North American premieres “The House on the Moon,” “The Mage,” “Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng” and “Will You Still Be My Friend?”; U.S. premieres “Big Little Things,” “Chura Vita,” “Fruit Gathering,” “Lomu,” “Los Vampires,” “Satoko Always,” “Sgt. Haane,” “Sukundimi Walks Before Me,” “We Are Born Good” and “You Are the Film”; and international premieres “2 Valid IDs,” “Guided by Horses” and “Shadow Work.”

The lineup also brings in festival selections from Cannes, Sundance, Berlin and Busan, including “Josephine,” “Bedford Park,” “Take Me Home,” “All of a Sudden,” “Coward,” “Fatherland,” “La Bola Negra,” “Minotaur,” “The Station,” “9 Temples to Heaven” and “We Are Aliens,” alongside a studio slate featuring Netflix’s “Ink,” “14th” and “Possible Love”; A24’s “Club Kid” and “The Debut”; IFC Films’ “Tangles” and “Mouse”; Searchlight Pictures’ “Behemoth!” and “Wild Horse Nine”; Amazon MGM Studios’ “I Play Rocky”; and Neon’s “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” and “Clarissa.”

Alongside its film program, HIFF46 presents the second annual HIFILM industry conference, featuring conversations with filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, “Romanticals” creator Jonah Feingold, producer Walter Hamada, Desert Eclipse CEO Jason Chen, actors Holt McCallany, Henry Ian Cusick, Alex Tarrant and Amy Hill, and writer-producer Dana Ledoux Miller, among others.

“At its core, HIFF has always been about where we are,” said Anderson Le, HIFF artistic director. Le noted that the festival can present “an awards contender from Cannes or Sundance one night, a world premiere from Hawai’i the next, and then a new filmmaker from Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Aotearoa or across Oceania – and they all belong in the same conversation.”

The festival runs Oct. 21-Nov. 5 on Oahu and continues through Nov. 15 on Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island of Hawai’i.