At their finest, dads provide, protect, play, and model pious behavior. And then there are those moments when even the best fathers prove they’re oh-so-fallen. 

The same goes for Dads, a new documentary directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of one of Hollywood’s favorite sons, director Ron Howard. Dads delights in the joys and challenges of fatherhood, and addresses a man’s responsibility to mother and child. It’s an unexpected—almost radical—statement from Hollywood.

It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good. And the pandemic that exploded Hollywood’s traditional release model has acted as jet fuel to the expansion plans of streaming outlets. Case in point: Greyhound. 

In 2001, we had the internet. But the search for online information remained slow and cumbersome, making it a still-ripe environment for the trivia-based game show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

The real-life scandal that grew out of that fandom is the inspiration for AMC’s riveting (though somewhat potty-mouthed) new drama Quiz.

In the first episode, we see how the monster hit began in the United Kingdom and crossed the Atlantic to win huge ratings on ABC. But more than that, we learn how a dedicated community of “quizzers” grew up around the program. 

It’s a strange thing: The documentary AKA Jane Roe hit Hulu and FX five days ago, generating thousands of headlines featuring words like “stunning” and “shocking,” yet almost no major media outlets have formally reviewed it.

Real-life tales of intrepid journalists bringing down corrupt powers are staples in film and television. HBO’s new made-for-cable movie stands out not just for its A-list lead (Hugh Jackman), but because the reporter who breaks the story is a teenage girl. 

The publication: her high-school newspaper. The power she takes down: the administration of her school district, one of the highest-ranked in the nation. 

Few images from World War II are as heart wrenching as those of Jewish child survivors of the Holocaust. A new PBS movie, The Windermere Children, and an accompanying documentary, The Windermere Children: In Their Own Words, tell the poignant, redemptive story of some of those youth.

With the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating world governments’ servicing of over $253 trillion in worldwide debt, leaders around the globe are making incredibly difficult decisions as they balance saving lives from the virus and avoiding a global economic collapse.

Viewers who want to watch a film that displays the trials of leadership in a similar no-win situation should consider going old school and giving the 1964 classic Fail Safe a watch (available on Amazon Prime).