Ian, Lester and Clare

June 07, 2025

Ian, Lester and Clare

In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed English actor Ian McShane for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Ian starred in the long-running British series Lovejoy, HBO's Deadwood and currently is in the latest John Wick film, Ballerina, (out today) and Prime Video's hysterical dark comedy Deep Cover (due June 12). [Photo above of Ian McShane by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment]

Here's the Ballerina trailer...

And here's the Deep Cover trailer...

What I'm Watching

New and watched this past week...

Fubar—Season 2—(June 12/Netflix)
The Gilded Age—Season 3 (starts June 22/HBO)
The Bear—Season 4 (starts June 25/Hulu)
Sovereign—a harrowing drama film due in theaters on July 11
Leanne—(July 31/Netflix)

Worthwhile stuff that started or will start soon...

Words of War (film/theaters)
The Better Sister (Prime)
Deep Cover (Prime film)
Sovereign (July 11/film/theaters)

My favorite streaming series, ranked...

Babylon Berlin
Adolescence
My Brilliant Friend
Good American Family
Killing Eve
The Crown
Mad Men
The Americans
Younger
Fleabag
Band of Brothers
The Sopranos
Enlightened
Friday Night Lights
Justified
The Promised Life
Feud: Bette and Joan
The Old Man
Downton Abbey
The Blacklist
Goliath
Julia
The Gentlemen
Turn: Washington's Spies
Unbelievable
Landman
Voiceless (Bella da morire)(2020/MHz)
Black Doves
Web Therapy

Archive: Recommended series, films and documentaries...

TV series

The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
Alaska Daily—(2022/Prime)
The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
Anatomy of a Scandal—(2022/Netflix)
Apples Never Fall—2024/Peacock)
Babylon Berlin (2017-2024/MHz via Prime Video)
Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
The Bay (2019-current/BritBox)
Black Doves (2024/Netflix)
The Blacklist (2013-2023/Netflix)
Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
The Bletchley Circle (2012/Britbox)
Blue Lights—(2023/BritBox)
Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
The Crown—(2016-2023/Netflix)
Cherif—(2013-2019/Prime)
Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
The Dropout (2022/Hulu)
Elizabeth 1 (2005/Max)
Emily in Paris—(2020-present/Netflix)
Enlightened—(2011-2013/Max)
Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011/Netflix)
The Gentlemen—(2024/Netflix)
Godless—(2017/Netflix)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
The Gilded Age—(current/Max)
High Water—(2022/Netflix)
Homeland—(2011-2020/Showtime)
Il Commissario Manara (Inspector Manara) (2009-2011/MHz)
Jane Eyre—(2006/Britbox)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
Killing Eve—(2018-2022/Netflix)
Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
Lioness—(2023-current/Paramount+)
Loudermilk—(2017-2020/Netflix)
MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
Mobland—(2025/Paramount+)
Monsieur Spade—(2024/AMC)
Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Parts 1 and 2—(2023/Lifetime)
My Brilliant Friend—(2018-current/Max)
The Night Agent—(2023-present/Netflix)
1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
The Old Man—(2022/Hulu)
On Call—2025/Amazon Prime)
Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
Protection—(2024/S1/BritBox)
The Perfect Couple—(2024/Netflix)
Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
The Promised Life—(2018/MHz via Prime Video)
Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Under the Banner of Heave—(2022/Hulu)
Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
Voiceless (Bella da morire—(2020/MHz)
The Watcher—(2022/Netflix)
The Way Home—(2023-current/Peacock)
Who Is Erin Carter—(2023/Netflix)
The Woman in the Wall—(2024/Showtime)
The Veil—(2024/Hulu-FX)
Web Therapy—(2011-2015/Fandango)
Wilder—(2017-current)
WPC 56—(2013-2015/Britbox)
Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
Younger—(2015-2021K/Netflix)

Films

Anna (2019/Tubi)
The Accountant—(2016/Hulu)
American Gangster—(2007/Max)
Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017/Netflix)
Blackout (2022/Netflix)
The Bricklayer—(2024/Netflix)
The Commuter (2018/Netflix)
The Dig—(2021/Netflix)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
Enrico Piaggio - Un Sogno Italiano (An Italian Dream) (2019/MHz)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
The Great Lillian Hall—(2024/Max)
The Family Man—(2000/Netflix)
Fury—(2014/Netflix)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
I Used to Be Funny (2023/Netflix)
Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+)
Just My Luck (2006/Paramount+)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Killers of the Flower Moon—(2023/Apple+)
La Palma (2024/Netflix)
Life or Something Like It—(2002/Netflix)
Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
The Little Things—(2021/Netflix)
Lonely Planet—(2024)/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
Manchester by the Sea—(2016/Prime Video)
MI-5—(2015/Max)
The Mule—(2018/Netflix)
The Night Agent—(2023/Netflix)
99 Homes—(2014/Roku)
Nobody—(2021/Prime)
Nobody Wants This—(2024/Netflix)
Ordinary Angels—(2024/assorted platforms)
The Pledge—(2011/Peacock)
Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
The Queen—(2006/Paramount+)
The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
Ruthless—(2023/Hulu)
The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix).
Sicario (2015/Netflix)
Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
Some Girl(s)—(2013/Amazon Prime)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
Spy(ies)—(2009/Prime)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
Up in the Air—(2009/Max)
Woman in Gold—(2015/Max)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)

Documentaries

Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
The Beach Boys—(2024/Disney)
Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
Cunk on Earth—(2022/Netflix)
Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing—(2023/Paramount+)
Facing Nolan—(2022/Netflix)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
Jane Fonda in Five Acts—(2024/Max)
Kate Hepburn: Call Me Kate—(2023/Netflix)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra—(2023/Netflix)
The Stones and Brian Jones—(2023/Hulu)
Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here)

Bill Evans. Following my post on Craft Recordings' reissue of Interplay and Moon Beams on 180-gram vinyl, I heard from Tony Archbold:

"Hi Marc. I just love your daily blog, which I never miss. Your post on Interplay included your remarks that the only trumpeter who has been paired with Evans after Evans's work with Miles Davis was Freddie Hubbard. You missed one—Tom Harrell, on Evans's 1979 Warner Bros. album We Will Meet Again. It's a great album and a nice break from all the trio albums he recorded. Keep up the good work, Marc. I marvel at the pace of life you must keep in order to keep us jazz fans so well informed!" [Editor's note: I have updated the original post]

Here's the first track and full album, featuring Bill Evans (p,el-p), Tom Harrell (tp), Larry Schneider (ts,ss,alto flute), Marc Johnson (b) and Joe LaBarbera (d)...

Lester Young. Above is a photo of Lester Young in front of the Hotel Claridge on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, circa 1956. Which instantly got me in the mood for Pres. Here he is in 1952...

Here's Pres in 1956...

Here's Pres in 1952...

And here's Pres in Paris in March 2, 1959, 13 days before his death in New York...

Mount Etna. Last week I heard from Marti in Sicily, who was first to let me know that Mount Etna was erupting. She also sent along dramatic video that wasn't included in any of the news reports in the U.S. Go here.

Dolly shot, by definition, is a technique where a camera is mounted on a wheeled platform (a dolly) and moves smoothly toward or away from a subject unbroken. Here's one of the first, in 1927...