REVIEW COLLECTION: "This Is Us"

WRITER'S NOTE: The following is a collection of reviews posted on my Instagram account @be.kerian. They’ve been organized chronologically, based on initial release dates, and have been slightly edited. (The dates in which said reviews were first posted are in parentheses.) 

The following is a brief, spoiler-free look back at the six-season, six-year run of NBC's superb drama series. 

Season 1 (2016-2017) 

I've officially finished Season 1 of "This Is Us" for the first time. I've only really been invested in very few shows, for those of you who know me well. I tried watching this series last fall and only got to see the pilot. (Then I was in the ER the next day for health reasons, but that's a different story.) With all the personal lifestyle changes I've made in the last several weeks, however, I eventually decided to make time to watch this.

Obviously, I don't want to spoil anything, except to say that the basic premise involving a unique set of siblings and their lives (and the lives of their parents and families) is both brilliantly written and phenomenally acted. There are a few content issues involved, but, other than that, this is one of those truly rare shows with genuine emotional investment and real creative freedom in the way it alternates between times and places and memories. You think you know where the stories are going to go, until they take a 180. Looking forward to catching up on Seasons 2 and 3. My regards to the cast and crew involved 👍 Well done. (And thank you to my relatives in Wisconsin for lending me the 5-disc DVD set.) (6/10/2019) 

Season 2 (2017-2018) 

Just finished Season 2 of "This Is Us." Honestly, this show continues to surprise me and blow my mind. You think you know everything you need to know about these characters, until the stories go in unexpected places and reveal unexpected twists and surprising elements that you never could preconceive. Any product, whether a movie franchise or T.V. series or books series, that has creative freedom, phenomenal acting, writing, directing, et al, earns the right to be commended. I look forward to watching Season 3 very soon, not to mention the fourth season that premieres on NBC next month! Many thanks to my relatives in WI for lending me this! (8/22/2019) 

Season 3 (2018-2019) 

Better late than ever, but with most of us quarantined or self-isolating for the last several weeks, I thought this would be a good time to (FINALLY) catch up on Season 3 of "This Is Us." I've said it before: this series continually surprises and amazes with its unexpected twists and character arcs, time period alterations, and deep humanity. I wonder what meetings in the writer's room look like when developing every episode, each continually subverting our knowledge and understanding of these characters and their stories. Here's to Season 4. (7/3/2020) 

Season 4 (2019-2020) 

Just finished Season 4 of "This Is Us" on Hulu. Boy, this season threw quite a few emotional curveballs! Especially in how the various character arcs connected, were set up, and how the writers continually subvert viewers expectations. Let's get to season 5 already! Mandy Moore has reportedly said it will be "mind-blowing". (8/11/2020) 

Season 5 (2020-2021) 

Just finished watching last night's season (five) finale of "This Is Us" on Hulu. Wow! All things considered (including the 2020 pandemic and Black Lives Matter), the cast, writers and crew behind this season handled these themes and storylines very well. Perhaps more low-key, compared to previous seasons, but still very engrossing and, by the season finale, breathless. Looking forward to the sixth (and reportedly) final season very soon!!! (5/26/2021) 

Season 6: "The Final Chapter" (2021-2022) 

The sixth and final season of the NBC T.V. series "This Is Us" has come to its long-awaited conclusion. There's no point in spilling details about how it ends, except to tell you that the individual and collective journeys of the Pearson family and those close to them offer surprising twists and emotional heartstrings that will ultimately leave you breathless. I know of no other show in recent memory with this much ambition, emotion, and transcendence. (Talk about a passage of time.) My hats off to the entire cast and crew for an exceptional run from 2016 to now. (5/24/2022) 

Films of the 2010s: Definitive Edition

I wrote two posts in 2020, reflecting on films of the last two decades. Recently, however, I've been spending some time steadily but heavily reevaluating my selections and have now come to as close a definitive list as I could from the latter decade. Here are my 11 picks from the 2010s. 

Get Out (2017) 

Writer-director Jordan Peele made an impressive debut with this brilliant-but-creepy commentary on race, as a young black man and his Caucasian girlfriend go to visit her family for the weekend. Everything from there gets weird and shocking. A benchmark in reexamining the horror genre, at least from a socially-conscious perspective. (OTHER NOTABLE HORROR: A Quiet Place [2018] / Us [2019].) 

Gravity (2013) 

This has been an exceptional decade for the science-fiction genre, particularly in renewed interest in the space race. Alfonso Cuaron's thriller-drama about two astronauts (the terrifically-cast Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) stranded in space is a gripping, poignant, and emotional powerhouse. It's also an exceptional use of visual effects and immersive 3D viewing. This is why we go to the movies. (OTHER NOTABLE SCI-FI: Inception [2010] / Interstellar [2014] / The Martian [2015] / Arrival [2016]. OTHER NOTABLE TRUE STORIES OF NASA: Hidden Figures [2016] / First Man [2018] / Apollo 11 [2019].) 

La La Land (2016)

An original, dazzling musical that is also a loving homage to the MGM era of the early-20th Century (with postmodern twists). Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling shine as two struggling and aspiring artists in a song-and-dance romp, with writer-director Damien Chazelle in full swing of his growing craft. (OTHER NOTABLE MUSICALS/THROWBACKS: The Artist [2011] / The Greatest Showman [2017].) 

Lincoln (2012) 

Steven Spielberg continued to turn out exceptional films into the 21st Century, reminding us why he is one of our most enduring (and important) filmmakers. His extraordinary biopic on the latter years of Abraham Lincoln's U.S. presidency is impeccably designed, directed, and acted, especially with the commanding Daniel Day-Lewis as Honest Abe. (OTHER NOTABLE BIOPICS AND SPIELBERG PICS: The King's Speech [2010] / Bridge of Spies [2015].) 

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Director George Miller returned to the road-chase subgenre he practically created in the late-1970s. Essentially a two-hour car chase, this mind-blowing romp actually has more craft, adrenaline, and social commentary than most action films put together. Tom Hardy's titular Road Warrior really takes a backseat to Charlize Theron's commanding Furiosa, who leads a group of captive women to freedom. Hang on to your seats. 

Moneyball (2011)

The defining sports film of the decade, based on Michael Lewis' biography of the Oakland A's 2001-2002 radical, record-breaking baseball season. The concept of sabermetrics is key, but the brilliant script (courtesy Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin) refuses to be one-sided, making the experience that much more introspective and genuine. First-rate performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill knock it out of the ballpark. 

1917 (2019) 

Sam Mendes crafts a thoroughly immersive World War I story about two young British soldiers tasked with delivering a message to stop an impending attack. Shot as one long, continuous take in real time, 1917 is a harrowing and incredible experience. (OTHER NOTABLE WAR/PERIOD FILMS: War Horse [2011] / The Revenant [2015] / Dunkirk [2017].) 

Roma (2018)

Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron created his best work with this period drama about an indigenous maid and the family she takes care of. A deeply personal story from an incredibly-skilled director at the top of his game, told on an epic scale. This is a film that made me look at cinema anew. 

Room (2015)

Based on Emma Donohugue's intense novel, about a young woman and her little boy as they escape captivity and adjust to the outside world, Room shook me to my core. At the same time, I had never seen a powerful, loving, and heartbreaking relationship between a mother and child on screen before (kudos to Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay). (OTHER NOTABLE INDIE DARLINGS: The Descendants [2011] / The Farewell [2019] / Frances Ha [2013] / Lady Bird [2017] / Short Term 12 [2013] / The Tree of Life [2011].) 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

There have been many exceptional animated films this decade (Toy Story 3 [2010], The Lego Movie [2014], Zootopia [2016]), and there have been many exceptional superhero films (Black Panther [2018], Logan [2017], Wonder Woman [2017]). But very few have combined the best of both worlds--and the best of films and comic books--as radically as this 2018 must-see. Arguably the best Spider-Man movie ever made, Spider-Verse merges different incarnations of the ever-popular webslinger, with fan-favorite, biracial teenager Miles Morales as the story's beating heart. A cinematic game-changer. 

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Morgan Neville's heartwarming chronicle of the life and legacy of children's television host Fred Rogers is the best documentary I've seen in years. And its release couldn't be more timely. Mr. Rogers is the kind of example that is few and far between in today's world, and the kind we really need. (ANOTHER NOTABLE DOCUMENTARY: Free Solo [2018].) 

Decade-Defining Directors: The 2010s

Here is a list of filmmakers who turned out some acclaimed and/or impressive work in the 2010s. 

Ben Affleck

The Town (2010) / Argo (2012) / Live By Night (2016) 

Paul Thomas Anderson 

The Master (2012) / Inherent Vice (2014) / Phantom Thread (2017) 

Wes Anderson

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) / The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) / Isle of Dogs (2018) 

Damien Chazelle

Whiplash (2014) / La La Land (2016) / First Man (2018) 

Ryan Coogler

Fruitvale Station (2013) / Creed (2015) / Black Panther (2018) 

Alfonso Cuaron

Gravity (2013) / Roma (2018) 

Greta Gerwig

Lady Bird (2017) / Little Women (2019) 

Alejandro G. Innaritu

Buitiful (2010) / Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) / The Revenant (2015) 

Barry Jenkins

Moonlight (2016) / If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) 

Patty Jenkins 

Wonder Woman (2017) 

Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

21 Jump Street (2012) / The Lego Movie (2014) / 22 Jump Street (2014)

Jeff Nichols

Take Shelter (2011) / Mud (2013) / Midnight Special (2016) / Loving (2016) 

Christopher Nolan

Inception (2010) / The Dark Knight Rises (2012) / Interstellar (2014) / Dunkirk (2017) 

Alexander Payne

The Descendants (2011) / Nebraska (2013) / Downsizing (2017) 

Jordan Peele

Get Out (2017) / Us (2019) 

Zack Snyder

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) / Sucker Punch (2011) / Man of Steel (2013) / Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) 

Steven Spielberg

The Adventures of Tintin (2011) / War Horse (2011) / Lincoln (2012) / Bridge of Spies (2015) / The BFG (2016) / The Post (2017) / Ready Player One (2018)

Guillermo del Toro

Pacific Rim (2013) / Crimson Peak (2015) / The Shape of Water (2017)

Denis Villenueve 

Prisoners (2013) / Sicario (2015) / Arrival (2016) / Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Decade-Defining Performers: The 2010s

Here is a list of several screen actors and actresses, each with an incredible roster of diverse work throughout the 2010s.

Mahershala Ali 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 1 (2014) / The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 2 (2015) / Moonlight (2016) / Hidden Figures (2016) / Green Book (2018) / Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) / Alita: Battle Angel (2019) 

Amy Adams 

The Fighter (2010) / The Muppets (2011) / The Master (2012) / Trouble With the Curve (2012) / Man of Steel (2013) / Her (2013) / American Hustle (2013) / Big Eyes (2014) / Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) / Arrival (2016) / Nocturnal Animals (2016) / Vice (2018) 

Christian Bale 

The Fighter (2011) / The Dark Knight Rises (2012) / American Hustle (2013) / The Big Short (2015) / Knight of Cups (2015) / The Promise (2016) / Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) / Vice (2018) / Ford v Ferrari (2019) 

Emily Blunt 

Your Sister's Sister (2011) / Looper (2012) / Edge of Tomorrow (2014) / Into the Woods (2014) / Sicario (2015) / A Quiet Place (2018) / Mary Poppins Returns (2018) 

Chadwick Boseman 

42 (2013) / Get On Up (2014) / Captain America: Civil War, 2016 / Marshall (2017) / Black Panther (2018) / Avengers: Infinity War (2018) / Avengers: Endgame (2019) / 21 Bridges (2019) 

Jessica Chastain 

The Tree of Life (2011) / Take Shelter (2011) / The Help (2011) / Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) / Zero Dark Thirty (2012) / Interstellar (2014) / The Martian (2015) / Crimson Peak (2015) / Molly's Game (2017) / It: Chapter Two (2019) 

Bradley Cooper 

Limitless (2011) / The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) / Silver Linings Playbook (2012) / American Hustle (2013) / Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) / American Sniper (2014) / A Star Is Born (2018) 

Viola Davis 

The Help (2011) / Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) / Prisoners (2013) / Get On Up (2014) / Suicide Squad (2016) / Fences (2016) / Widows (2018) 

Leonardo DiCaprio 

Shutter Island (2010) / Inception (2010) / Django Unchained (2012) / The Great Gatsby (2013) / The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) / The Revenant (2015) / Once Upon a Time . . . In Hollywood (2019) 

Michael Fassbender 

X-Men: First Class (2011) / Jane Eyre (2011) / Haywire (2012) / Prometheus (2012) / 12 Years a Slave (2013) / Frank (2014) / X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) / Macbeth (2015) / Steve Jobs (2015) / The Light Between Oceans (2016) / Song to Song (2017)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt 

Inception (2010) / 50/50 (2011) / The Dark Knight Rises (2012) / Premium Rush (2012) / Looper (2012) / Lincoln (2012) / The Walk (2015) / Snowden (2016) 

Ryan Gosling 

Blue Valentine (2010) / Crazy Stupid Love (2011) / Drive (2011) / The Ides of March (2011) / The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) / The Big Short (2015) / The Nice Guys (2016) / La La Land (2016) / Song to Song (2017) / Blade Runner 2049 (2017) / First Man (2018) 

Tom Hanks 

Toy Story 3 (2010) / Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) / Cloud Atlas (2012) / Captain Phillips (2013) / Saving Mr. Banks (2013) / Bridge of Spies (2015) / Sully (2016) / The Post (2017) / Toy Story 4 (2019) / A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) 

Tom Hardy 

Inception (2010) / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) / Warrior (2011) / The Dark Knight Rises (2012) / Locke (2013) / Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) / Legend (2015) / The Revenant (2015) / Dunkirk (2017) / Venom (2018) 

Hugh Jackman

Reel Steel (2011) / Rise of the Guardians (2012) / Les Miserables (2012) / The Wolverine (2013) / Prisoners (2013) / X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) / Eddie the Eagle (2016) / Logan (2017) / The Greatest Showman (2017) / The Front Runner (2018) / Missing Link (2019) 

Michael B. Jordan

Red Tails (2012) / Chronicle (2012) / Fruitvale Station (2013) / Creed (2015) / Black Panther (2018) / Creed II (2018) / Just Mercy (2019) 

Michael Keaton 

Toy Story 3 (2010) / The Other Guys (2010) / Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) / Minions (2015) / Spotlight (2015) / The Founder (2016) / Spider-Man Homecoming (2017) / Dumbo (2019) 

Brie Larson 

Greenburg (2010) / Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) / 21 Jump Street (2012) / Short Term 12 (2013) / The Spectacular Now (2013) / The Gambler (2014) / Trainwreck (2015) / Room (2015) / Free Fire (2016) / Kong: Skull Island (2017) / The Glass Castle (2017) / Captain Marvel (2019) / Avengers: Endgame (2019) / Just Mercy (2019)

Jennifer Lawrence 

Winter's Bone (2010) / The Beaver (2011) / Like Crazy (2011) / X-Men: First Class (2011) / The Hunger Games (2012) / Silver Linings Playbook (2012) / The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) / American Hustle (2013) / X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) / The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 1 (2014) / The Hunger Games: Mockingjay--Part 2 (2015) / Joy (2015) / X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) / mother! (2017) 

Lupita Nyong'O

12 Years a Slave (2013) / Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) / The Jungle Book (2016) / Queen of Katwe (2016) / Black Panther (2018) / Little Monsters (2019) / Us (2019) 

Brad Pitt 

The Tree of Life (2011) / Moneyball (2011) / Killing Them Softly (2012) / World War Z (2013) / The Counselor (2013) / 12 Years a Slave (2013) / Fury (2014) / The Big Short (2015) / Once Upon a Time . . . In Hollywood (2019) / Ad Astra (2019)

Chris Pratt 

Moneyball (2011) / Zero Dark Thirty (2012) / Her (2013) / The Lego Movie (2014) / Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) / Jurassic World (2015) / The Magnificent Seven (2016) / Passengers (2016) / Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) / Avengers: Infinity War (2018) / Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) / The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) 

Margot Robbie 

About Time (2013) / The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) / Z for Zachariah (2015) / Focus (2015) / Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) / The Legend of Tarzan (2016) / Suicide Squad (2016) / I, Tonya (2017) / Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017) / Mary Queen of Scots (2018) / Once Upon a Time . . . In Hollywood (2019) / Bombshell (2019) 

Saiorse Ronan

The Way Back (2010) / Hanna (2011) / The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) / Brooklyn (2015) / Loving Vincent (2017) / Lady Bird (2017) / Mary Queen of Scots (2018) / Little Women (2019) 

Mark Rylance

Anonymous (2011) / Bridge of Spies (2015) / The BFG (2016) / Dunkirk (2017) / Ready Player One (2018) 

Andy Serkis 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) / The Adventures of Tintin (2011) / The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) / Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) / Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) / Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) / War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) / Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) / Black Panther (2018) / Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) 

Octavia Spencer 

The Help (2011) / Fruitvale Station (2013) / Snowpiercer (2013) / Get On Up (2014) / The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) / Zootopia (2016) / Hidden Figures (2016) / The Shack (2017) / Gifted (2017) / The Shape of Water (2017) / Instant Family (2018) / Ma (2019) / Luce (2019) 

Emma Stone 

Easy A (2010) / Crazy Stupid Love (2011) / The Help (2011) / The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) / The Croods (2013) / The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) / Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) / La La Land (2016) / Battle of the Sexes (2017) / The Favourite (2018) / Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) 

Charlize Theron

Young Adult (2011) / Prometheus (2012) / Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) / Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) / Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) / Atomic Blonde (2017) / The Fate of the Furious (2017) / Tully (2018) / Long Shot (2019) / The Addams Family (2019) / Bombshell (2019)  

Alicia Vikander 

A Royal Affair (2012) / Anna Karenina (2012) / Ex Machina (2015) / The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) / The Danish Girl (2015) / Jason Bourne (2016) / The Light Between Oceans (2016) / Tomb Raider (2018) 

Mark Wahlberg 

The Other Guys (2010) / The Fighter (2010) / Ted (2012) / Pain & Gain (2013) / Lone Survivor (2013) / Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) / The Gambler (2014) / Daddy's Home (2015) / Deepwater Horizon (2016) / Patriots Day (2016) / All the Money in the World (2017) / Instant Family (2018) 

Denzel Washington 

The Book of Eli (2010) / Flight (2012) / The Equalizer (2014) / Fences (2016) / Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)