What to Watch This Weekend: Halloween Horror (Possessor, The Cleansing Hour, Blumhouse Movies, Do Not Reply), Once Upon a River, Charm City Kings, Ghostwriter, The Tax Collector

For Horror Fans Looking For A Change of Face - Possessor (Theaters)

Possessor will take control of you and not let go, as it pulls you into this violent, near future story with great acting, realistic effects, and a brutal story.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Ridding Themselves of Inner Demons - The Cleansing Hour (Shudder)

The Cleansing Hour will possess your eyeballs with its entertaining social media exorcism premise, fantastic special effects, and spirited, spiritual performances.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Looking for a Virtual Trip - Black Box (Amazon)

Black Box takes you on a technological deep dive with strong characters led by the amazing Mamoudou Athie, an intriguing story, and a mental mystery that will keep you guessing.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Obsessed With Social Media - Do Not Reply (Digital)

The unsettlingly perfect sets, convincing acting, and brutal and tense scenarios make Do Not Reply one movie you should swipe right on.  For more information, check out our review!  

For Horror Fans Keeping a Secret - The Lie (Amazon)

The Lie is a suspenseful deception film with stellar acting, a simple setup, and a meaningful ending that elevates the entire experience.  For more information, check out our review!

For Adventure Seekers - Once Upon a River (Virtual Cinema)

Once Upon A River is a beautiful coming of age film with wonderful cinematography and sound, a nuanced strong female lead, and a story with great pace and flow.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Thrill Seekers - Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - Ghostwriter Season 2 (Apple TV+)

Ghostwriter Season 2 continues the story of this wonderfully diverse, entertaining, and educational show with adventures that literally make stories come alive.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Ruthless Family Members - The Tax Collector (Redbox and Digital)

The Tax Collector has some intense characters--headlined by a transofmred Shia LaBeouf--in this ruthless story about family and power.  For more information, check out our review!

Ghost Writer Season 2 Review: A Continuation of This Wonderfully Diverse And Educational Show

Release date: October 9, 2020
Running time: 25 minute episodes (6 total)
Starring: Isaac Arellanes, Amadi Chapata, Hannah Levinson, Justin Sanchez

A reimagining of the 1992 hit series from Sesame Workshop, the modern-day “Ghostwriter” maintains a city-based, multicultural cast, inviting children ages 6-11 to see themselves on screen as they learn to appreciate a range of new and classic literature. In its second season, the series’ young heroes work to save their bookstore and discover the true identity of the Ghostwriter while introducing audiences to fresh tales like “Malia and the Magic Paintbrush” and “The Cobalt Mask,” and familiar literary characters including Dr. Watson of “Sherlock Holmes” fame.

I was a huge fan of the original PBS Ghostwriter series and was excited when the new reimagining was announced.  The original Ghostwriter was way ahead of its time when it came out, with a diverse cast dealing with issues such as racial identity and even to some degree racial profiling.  And it taught valuable lessons about problem solving and literacy.  So I was cautiously optimistic when the new series was announced, but thankfully the show retains much of what made the original show so magical while updating it for a modern time.  The show has a fantastic, diverse cast of characters.  Despite the smaller number of mystery solvers, the cast is still widely diverse in race, gender, interests, and experiences.  It should help a lot of kids find someone that they can relate to and also open them up to new interests and ideas.  And the show kept the focus on books and literacy, while still allowing for some interesting special effects to keep kids interested.

In the second season, the Ghostwriter powers become more interesting as the characters that come alive from the stories can now be seen by anyone and not just the four friends.  It makes the group of mystery solvers deal with some new scenarios while trying to maintain the Ghostwriter secret.  And the film continues to deal with issues that might be relevant to kids, such as hard work vs. quick gains and dealing with family and living situations.  But Ghostwriter does this in a way that is interesting and entertaining to kids.  It doesn't dwell so much on the lessons, but rather lets those lessons come through in the story.  Just like the original, it is not a teaching show so much as a show that can teach kids (and adults) important values and morals.  The series provides a great avenue to be entertained while also giving a way to talk to your kids about some important issues.  

Ghostwriter Season 2 continues the story of this wonderfully diverse, entertaining, and educational show with adventures that literally make stories come alive.

Watch it.

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Ghostwriter Season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+ starting October 9.

Interview: Ghostwriter Season 2 - Kids Interview Hannah Levinson (Donna) Justin Sanchez (Curtis) Luke Matheny

Hannah Levinson (stars as “Donna Palmer-Moreno”), Justin Sanchez (stars as “Curtis Palmer-Moreno”), and Luke Matheny (Academy Award-winner and DGA Award-nominated Executive Producer) join us for a fun interview featuring questions from my kids about the new season of Ghostwriter! They provide insightful answers on the show, what it is like working with the rest of the crew, and what their favorite books are!

So give it a watch and make sure to check out the Ghostwriter Season 2, which is available on Apple TV+ starting October 9. “GHOSTWRITER”: After being honored with the Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Programming Award at the 47th Annual Daytime Emmys, and making Apple TV+ the first streaming service to win a Daytime Emmy in its first year of eligibility, “Ghostwriter” returns after a landmark first season, on Friday, October 9. Touted as a “knockout” and a “clever” show for today's youth, the series additionally earned a highly coveted Prix Jeunesse Award, a Parents' Choice Gold Medal Award, and recognition from Common Sense Media. A reimagining of the 1992 hit series from Sesame Workshop, the modern-day “Ghostwriter” maintains a city-based, multicultural cast, inviting children ages 6-11 to see themselves on screen as they learn to appreciate a range of new and classic literature. In its second season, the series’ young heroes work to save their bookstore and discover the true identity of the Ghostwriter while introducing audiences to fresh tales like “Malia and the Magic Paintbrush” and “The Cobalt Mask,” and familiar literary characters including Dr. Watson of “Sherlock Holmes” fame. Academy Award-winning and DGA Award-nominated Luke Matheny returns as the writer and director of the series, with PGA-nominated Andrew Orenstein serving as showrunner. Sesame Workshop’s executive vice president of Creative and Production Kay Wilson Stallings is executive producer. “Ghostwriter” is produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment. Please subscribe to be updated on the latest videos: https://bit.ly/3ajxSle Connect With Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watchorpass Twitter: https://twitter.com/watchorpass Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchorpassmovies As always, go to Watch or Pass (http://www.watchorpass.com) for all your movie news, reviews, interviews, deals, and recommendations!

   

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