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Dear Santa is a mini masterclass in going back to film making basics, while at the same time a sly commentary on Hallmark, Inc.'s revolving door of character clones.

Little Liam's spelling mistake conjures up a delightful demon whose soul-stealing plans are frustrated at every turn, as this child is incapable of being bum-rushed into life in the bad lane.

High marks for taking the time to actually build a story without the warp-speed pacing so common to most productions today. Jack Black's entrance is delayed so the audience has time to fully appreciate Liam's narrative, and watch his parents, who act like Hallmark autobots for a good deal of the movie - until their backstory reveals a painful secret. This plot point shifts Mom and Dad into the frame in a way that allows us to finally connect with them.

Jack Black and Robert Timothy Smith turn on the charm offensive to capture our holiday hearts - well, mission accomplished!

Acorn TV's latest detective show doubles down on the "angry black woman boss" trope; but three-time Olivier award winner Sharon D. Clarke lets her face take center stage, revealing meaningful moments as the insular Inspector fighting the clock, a hostile colleague, and laissez-faire racism.

It's the small gestures that let us know DCI Ellis is all too human, whether she's struggling with her wonky mobile phone or painfully upset at missing contact with a significant person in her life. And it's refreshing to see a strong black woman ruffling the feathers of white male entitlement! I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, and hope they'll be a second one.🌟

This is an intense, binge-worthy series - if you like your drama condensed, constrained, and calculated for the end game. Luckily, I do! I get weary of the formulaic police procedural where one or two cops go a' hunting for information and suspects, and then share their findings during the table chat back at the office. Det. Danny Frater stalks his suspects not so much for the information, but as a convoluted catharsis to his grief. In his worldview a murder has been committed, and each revelation wrung from his informants only indicates their part in his daughter's death. Every episode builds on this collective guilt, until he deals with the one person who feels little remorse. And that's only Season One!