Show about the making of a women’s wrestling show glows on Netflix

GLOW—Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling—is a new comedy show on Netflix that follows Ruth, played by Alison Brie (Mad Men), as she joins a women’s wrestling show set in the 1980s.

The show’s first season includes 10 episodes, each about 30-minutes each. It follows a group of women wrestlers and their washed-up director, Sam, as they work towards creating the low-budget program.

The most enjoyable aspect of the show is how a misfit group of people come together and make something from very little with some laughs along the way. The characters each have struggles of their own that they overcome while preparing for the taping of their premier episode.

Sam is a director of obscure sci-fi/horror films who is only doing the show as a deal to get his passion project made. Ruth must wrestle with her ex-best friend, Debbie, whose husband cheated on her with Ruth. One woman dresses up in furs and acts like a wolf. Each character has something distinct about them that contributes nicely to the show.

Netflix’s “Ozark”, starring Jason Bateman, begins streaming

“It’s got more shoreline than the coast of California.” That’s the sentence that prevented Marty Byrde from getting a bullet through his head courtesy of his client, a prominent drug dealer. The coastline mentioned is part of the Ozarks in Missouri, far from the feds.

Netflix’s Ozark is about a financial advisor, played by Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman, in Chicago who needs to leave the city after his partner stole from the disgruntled client. He relocates to the show’s namesake, the Ozarks, in Missouri.

Byrde is a guy one wouldn’t expect to be laundering money for a major Mexican cartel. He has a wife, kids, and lives in the suburbs. This suburban life crumbles in the first episode, titled “Sugarwood”, due to an unfaithful wife and an ambitious promise to appease his client.

The Byrde’s find themselves in over their heads while they deal with family drama as well as the looming threat of disappointing a major Mexican drug cartel.

The first season is 10 episodes, each about an hour long.  The first two and final two are directed by Bateman himself. The show finds the Byrdes way over their heads.

HBO’s “The Defiant Ones” tells a story to inspire

How did a kid from the Big Apple and a kid straight outta Compton, California build careers that would culminate into a $3.2 billion business deal with Apple?  HBO delivers an excellent documentary with “The Defiant Ones”. Using several in-depth interviews and exceptional editing, the viewer is introduced to music business heavyweights Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.

“The Defiant Ones” kicks off with the early, separate lives of Iovine and Dre and eventually finds them working together over the course of four, roughly one-hour long episodes.

Iovine and Dre tell their stories with the help of interviews with several notable people in the music business including Tom Petty, Ice Cube, Stevie Nicks, Snoop Dogg, and more.

The two explain how they felt on their come-ups and viewers get a glimpse into the lives of these two extremely successful men.  The doc is filled with great moments like when Jimmy Iovine went into work on an Easter Sunday to find that he would be working with John Lennon. They also detail the moment when Iovine and Dr. Dre came up with the idea of creating the Beats headphone and speaker company that would later be acquired by Apple for $3.2 billion.

With great commentary, excellent editing and a great story, this doc is sure to inspire many creatives to work hard and believe in their ideas.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop marks the latest attempt by Apple Music to break into video streaming

Apple Music is continuing its foray into video content with its exclusive release of the documentary Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story.

The doc, to be released on June 25, details the career of one of the most influential people in the music industry, Sean “Diddy” Combs.  It offers commentary from Combs as well as artists Mary J Blige, Nas,  Lil Kim, Mase, and others according to its IMDB page.

The star-studded trailer shows Diddy reminiscing on his success and recounting the tragic and still unsolved murder of the biggest star of his record label in the 90s, Notorious B.I.G.

This release is only the latest, and most promising, offering in video content from Apple Music.  The service, until recently, has offered only audio content and music videos.

The shows Apple has in the works seem underwhelming and derivative.  Its first show, “Planet of the Apps, is about app developers who pitch their ideas to Jessica Alba, will.i.am, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gary Vaynerchuck in the hope of investment. If that sounds familiar its because it’s almost the same exact concept as ABC’s “Shark Tank”.

Also in the works is a series titled “Carpool Karaoke”, a take on the viral segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden, will feature celebrities singing and conversing together during car rides.  This works well as a short segment for a late night show, but as a stand-alone program? We’ll have to wait and see.

Apple Music may be entering a new field of entertainment but seems to be staying in its general wheelhouse, offering music-related video content.

It may not be worth a paid subscription based on its shows and this documentary alone, but it is becoming clear that the service plans on surpassing its competitors, such as Spotify and Tidal, by offering something they can’t thanks to Apple’s colossal budget.

The first three months of Apple Music are free so it’s worth trying.  An individual subscription to Apple Music is $9.99/month or $4.99/ for students.  It also offers a family membership for $14.99/month for up to six people.