Reviews - page 51

After years of shepherding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to its first major climax, directors Joe and Anthony Russo decided to make one of the proverbial “one for us” movies — as in “one for them, one for us.”

It’s a classic Hollywood strategy, where filmmakers follow up a moneymaking blockbuster with a personal project that’s more like an indie flick. The trouble with the Russo brothers “one for us” movie — a drama called Cherry, comes to Apple TV+ today — is that the “us” in this case possess no style, no ideology, no ideas and no ambition. Cherry is a total waste of $10 million and 2-and-a-half hours of screen time.

On this week’s installment of Apple TV+’s labored and single-minded For All Mankind, the next space flight is on everyone’s mind as the NASA crew careens toward destiny.

With Twelve South’s HoverBar Duo, it’s not necessary to choose between an iPad stand that sits on a desk and one that clamps to a shelf — this accessory does both. And it has a two-piece articulated arm to give a wide range of positioning options. Plus it clamps tightly onto a tablets of many sizes.

I put this stand through its paces, and here’s how it stood up to real-world use.

Flows Bandwidth’s Bluetooth audio sunglasses let you listen to podcasts or take calls without blocking out the world around you. Despite speakers built into the stems, the men’s or women’s versions look like any other sunglasses. But they keep you entertained on the go.

I’ve worn these smart glasses for weeks. Here’s why I like them.

Slip your Xbox controller into the OtterBox Gaming Carry Case to protect it when gaming on the go. There’s a built-in phone stand so you can play anywhere, and the case makes room for OtterBox’s new phone mount.

I’ve used this Xbox controller case for several weeks. Here’s why I like it.

There are guns on the moon — repeat there are guns on the moon — in a new For All Mankind with a mildly elevated pulse! Everyone’s making hard choices and living with regrets on this week’s episode of no one’s favorite space soap on Apple TV+.

Bad dreams, dead rebels, crumbling marriages, and new babies all collide in Dickinson’s season 2 finale.

The Apple TV+ show about the famous feminist legend of poetry needs to tie up a lot of loose ends. But it’s got to also leave enough left unanswered to entice viewers for next season. Can it accomplish all this on its own terms?

On this week’s Losing Alice, Apple TV+’s erotic thriller series about filmmaking, director Alice has a big premiere coming up but her star isn’t present. Just what happened in Room 209 — and what’s next?

For All Mankind, the Apple TV+ soap opera about the lives of astronauts in an alternate-history America, takes a few leaps toward disaster in its sophomore season’s second episode. Crisis looms around every corner — and everyone’s gearing up for the worst.

With Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, the young pop star gets a showcase and a bio-doc, which means she’s gotten so hugely popular that people demanded to know more about her.

The good news is, Eilish is a humble and interesting subject. The bad news: Being a depressed teenager with high-tension demands placed upon you isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

Playing fast-moving games on a touchscreen is often frustrating. And while iOS supports external game controllers, combining one with an iPhone can be cumbersome. But not with the OtterBox Mobile Gaming Clip. It attaches an iPhone to an Xbox controller in a surprisingly usable setup.

I did some gaming with the phone mount to see how it stands up to real-world use. Spoiler: it performed far better than the many cheap alternatives.

On this week’s episode of Apple TV+’s millennial melodrama Dickinson, Austin’s drowning, Emily’s flailing, Mrs. Dickinson’s catering two tea parties, and John Brown’s raiding Harper’s Ferry. And that’s just in the first few minutes.

The future hangs in the balance. And with only two episodes left in the show’s second season, every action and word counts. The show only wastes some of them.

Losing Alice starts to wind down its look at the perverse triangle formed by a screenwriter, a director and their star in the Apple TV+ psychothriller’s penultimate episode.

The time has come for Alice to direct David and Sophie in their big, erotic close-up. Can they find the chemistry needed to sell it before the wheels come off the machine and Sophie is found out?

Apple TV+’s alternate-history space race extravaganza For All Mankind is back for a second season (with a third already paid for). Things are different on the moon but they’re very much the same in the drama department.

The Apple Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard for iPad are amazing but they prevent putting the tablet into most cases, so it has to be “naked” when not clipped to the keyboard. That’s no problem for the SwitchEasy CoverBuddy, a protective case that Apple’s clip-on keyboards can work right through.

Tilting up the base of your MacBook makes it easier to type. And it elevates the screen to be nearer eye level. The Twelve South ParcSlope is a simple, sturdy laptop stand that offers both benefits. And you can use it with your iPad, too.

I used the ParcSlope for several days to see how well it performed in real-world use. Read on to see what I found out.

Emily Dickinson is finally a published author, but will that stitch the tear in her heart or repair the fraying nerves of everyone in her orbit? Anyone who knows the story of the 19th-century poet knows the answer to that, but we’re not watching Apple TV+’s revisionist history for its accuracy, are we?

On this week’s episode of Losing Alice, the Apple TV+ limited series about a director matching wits with a hot young screenwriter, the titular filmmaker has a potential murderer on her hands. With her movie due to shoot any second, can Alice do the right thing and keep her job?

The bodies are piling up, and Alice is losing control of her star, her marriage, her movie and her life, just as the title implies. If only it were more exciting to watch.

Apple’s new MagSafe iPhone 12 charger has limitations. But the Elago MS1 Charging Stand wraps around Apple’s simple puck and makes it better.

I tested this useful accessory on my desk and at my bedside. Here’s why I like it.

In this week’s episode of Dickinson, Emily and company disembark to a health spa so everyone can unwind, though that’s not really what happens. Apple TV+’s millennial melodrama enjoys a mostly off week of batty jokes and ignoring the characters’ problems.

On this week’s episode of Apple TV+’s behind-the-scenes filmmaking drama Losing Alice, rehearsals have begun, locations are found, and parts are cast. Now all that remains is for the relationship between writer, director and star not to devolve into shrieking sexual hysterics.

Easier said than done.

Everyone’s favorite beagle flies back into action for a new series of misadventures on Apple TV+. Charles Schulz’s beloved gang of misfits are here to provide support on The Snoopy Show, based on the Peanuts comics.

The new animated series premieres Friday, bringing some stress-busting, family-friendly entertainment to Apple’s streaming service.

Accessories that take on more than one task are the best. Like Moft’s clip-on iPhone wallet that’s also a stand. It can hold three cards, but is very slender. And it uses magnets to cling tightly to the handset.

I tested the Moft Snap-on Stand & Wallet for weeks, so I can share what it’s really like in daily use.

Aukey makes a USB-C charger that’s about as small at the standard 5 watt iPhone charger but provides far more power. The Minima 18W PD Charger can quickly juice up an Apple phone or tablet, as well as other devices. With it, that old 5W charger can go in a drawer where it belongs.

It’s a low-cost option, plus I tested the product with an iPhone and an iPad so you can be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

In this week’s episode of Dickinson, Emily veers nearer to romantic destruction as the whole cast decamps to the Boston opera house to see a show. The episode makes time for everyone in the cast to take a solo. And the show finds its strengths renewed in simply detailing Emily’s emotional inner life.