Our Movie Guy, Paul McGuire Grimes (Paul’s Trip to the Movies) gives us some options of things to watch – either on streaming or in the theaters.

THE STUDIO (AppleTV+)

It’s always refreshing when Hollywood is able to poke fun at itself. It’s even better when it’s a scathing take down thanks to Seth Rogen and co-creator Evan Goldberg. Image a big Hollywood studio run by Seth Rogen. Rogen isn’t playing too far away from his usual stick as Matt Remick who finds himself the new executive of Continental Studios after former exec Patty Leigh is let go. Catherine O’Hara pops up as Patty who finds herself trying to stay relevant and rich in a new stage of her career after getting the axe. Matt would love to make serious, art house, auteur driven movies while others at the studio want big-budget, IP movies to make money. He gets in way over his head desperately trying to appease big names like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard while making promises to his bosses. Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, and Kathryn Hahn play members of Matt’s team who are trying to find their own way in Hollywood despite all the pressures thrown at them.

–The Studio is ten half hour episodes that fly by. This is the best and smartest thing Seth Rogen has ever created and shows a biting maturity from his early days of stoner comedies.

-Rogen isn’t necessarily stretching too far as an actor with the character he created, but the antics and commentary are at an elevated state.

–The Studio has an interesting structure given Rogen and Goldberg have gone back to the classic TV days of using notable guest stars in each episode. Each episode features a different director and actor playing themselves in movies that Matt works on. Notable cameos include Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Charlize Theron and more.

-There’s an ongoing commentary on art versus the commercialism of movies. The show tackles everything from shooting on film versus digital, cynical cash grab reboots to casting decisions made to adhere to current political correctness and social media needs.

-Each episode starts so promising for Matt and goes off the rails giving the audience a tense, cringe-worthy comedy with big laughs. It utilizes a walking and talking/Sorkin like intensity to demonstrate the high stakes Matt continually finds himself in.

– The Studio is an incredibly smart satire that works because it feels heightened, yet all too real for the current state of Hollywood.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

ADOLESCENCE (Netflix)

Adolescence will be your latest Netflix obsession. It opens with the sudden, unannounced arrest of 13-year-old Jamie Miller who is now accused of murdering his classmate, Katie. Jamie seems innocent, and the police, his parents, and lawyer try to piece together what happened the night she died, and why he was last seen with her.

-British limited series consisting of 4 – hour long episodes

–Adolescence is the latest Netflix series to grip audiences with its heartbreaking story and intricate filmmaking.

-Stephen Graham is a great character actor from Boardwalk Empire and The Irishman. He co-created and stars in the series as Jamie’s dad.

-Owen Cooper is making his screen debut as Jamie and gives an unbelieve performance. Expect him to get heaps of praise come award season.

-Each episode is shot like one long tracking shot making it told in real time with happens with these characters. The first episode (Day 1) goes from the arrest to the police interrogation. The second episode (Day 3) features the cops going to Jamie’s school interrogating the teachers and students. This technique allows the audience to feel in the moment with the story without having the audience get too far ahead of the story with your standard flash backs or time jumps.

-The story is completely heartbreaking if you are a parent as you sit and wonder what is happening to your kids at school, the online bullying, the hidden meaning behind different emojis, and so forth.

-With each episode, you see how this story starts to unfold and the circle of those affected expands behind the victim, accused, and their parents.

-There’s an intimate nature to how they comment on unthinkable tragedies, the nuance involved, and where we place our focus in these situations. It never feels sensationalist or gimmicky for the sake of holding the audience in suspense. They trust that the story speaks for itself.

RATING: 5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

DEATH OF A UNICORN

Imagine Jurassic Park but with more carnage and unicorns. That’s the selling point behind Death of a Unicorn. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega lead the film as father and daughter, Elliott and Ridley, who find themselves on a forced road trip after they have plane delays. Elliott is the lawyer for the Leopold family who are in the pharmaceutical business. Richard E. Grant plays ODell the patriarch of the family who is dying of cancer. Before they arrive, Elliott and Ridley get into a car accident after they hit an animal. That animal is a unicorn, and Ridley seems to have a visionary connection to the animal. They take it with them to the Leopold compound, and soon they all discover the unicorn’s horn has magical powers from curing Ridley’s acne to potentially curing Odell’s cancer. The Leopold family seeks to capitalize on this new magical cure, but as we know, nature always finds a way.

-Starring: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni and Will Poulter

-Writer/director Alex Scharfman is the twisted mind behind this film that is wild, unpredictable, and a bloody ride not meant for children. This is NOT a modern day My Little Pony but rather a carnage-filled movie where unicorns get their revenge on greedy rich people.

-It has a quirky concept, and you can see how Scharfman uses his love of monster movies and creature features as a blueprint for this film. You have to be willing to go along with the wacky ride if you want to enjoy it.

-Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega make for a fun father-daughter duo as they’re written as complete opposites. He’s very buttoned up and strait-laced, while she wears a nose ring, has choppy hair and is constantly vaping behind his back. She becomes intrigued by the unicorns diving into the unicorn folklore to learn more about what to expect as the number of unicorns increases as the story progresses.

-Will Poulter is the breakout star of the film as Shepard Leopold, the privileged son who feels ripped out of The White Lotus. Poulter is over the top, obnoxious, and knows the perfect tone to play as Shepard.

-Alex Scharfman says he was inspired by the real Sackler family in his creation of the Leopold family.

-I do wish he would have amped up the satire and went to the extremes for how he wrote that family. It could have been better had there been a sharper tone in place as nature will always rule over greedy humans who can only think with their pockets.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS