TV and Movie Reviews - March 2021

Here are some short reviews of things I watched in March. My viewing pattern has been disrupted because my wife is still spending a lot of time taking care of her mother, so I haven't been watching a lot of shows that I know she wants to see.

Movies

• Justice League (Zack Syder cut). A four-hour-long light show with no redeeming social or artistic merit. The only reason I watched it was my son wanted to see it on the big TV with the surround system. I will credit it for being better than the theatrical release, but that's a very low bar. (HBO)
• Alan Bean: Art off This Earth. A short documentary about astronaut and artist Alan Bean. I wish it had been longer. (Knowledge Network)
• Hermitage Revealed. A documentary about Russia's Hermitage Museum. It is one of the two places in Russia that I would like to visit. (Knowledge Network)
• Led Zeppelin: Celebration. I never saw them live, to my life-long regret. I've watched the DVD several times now, and every time I find something new. This time: Jimmy Page shredding on a 12-string at the end of "Stairway to Heaven". I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do that. 

TV Shows

• Impossible Engineering. Season 3. Each episode is about a major engineering project and showing how it used techniques from the past. The content is really interesting; I watched episodes about the Panama Canal expansion, London's CrossRail line, and the FAST radio telescope, among others. However, the show suffers from the "tell them three times" syndrome, with a lot of repetitive material around what were probably breaks for commercials, and it drives me crazy. (TVO)
• For All Mankind, Season 2. The excellent alternate history of the space program continues about a decade after the first season ended. They mostly get the science and tech right (although the solar storm at the end of the first episode was overdone) and they haven't overdone the soap opera elements (so far). (Apple TV+)
• Nova: Dead Sea Scroll Detectives. This show mostly concentrates on how researchers and archaeologists determine which Dead Sea scroll fragments are real and which ones are fakes. The technology that is now available to read them is amazing. (PBS)
• American Gods, Season 3. The book is arguably Gaiman's best novel, but I wouldn't rate the TV show that highly. I've totally lost track of the plot, but it is still quite watchable. (Amazon Prime)
• Classic Albums: American Beauty/Anthem of the Sun. The story of two of the Grateful Dead's early albums. It's fascinating to see how some of the music was made in the studio. (Amazon Prime)
• Led Zeppelin IV. The story of Led Zeppelin's fourth album. The show breaks down the album track by track. Some of the live clips are pretty amazing. If you like Zeppelin, you'll love this. (Amazon Prime)