Aarcflick

 According to retired fire captain Rich Snyder, the dangerous combination of weather, topography, and fuel (brush and homes) was evident long before the Eaton and Palisades fires erupted in Southern California a year ago. Perhaps the lack of planning, organization, and competence on the part of local government was also predictable. In any case, several survivors agree on the same thing again and again: when it came to saving their homes and property, they were on their own.  Some succeeded and others didn't, but all of their stories are truly heartbreaking in the three-part documentary miniseries L.A. Firestorm: Inside the Inferno, from writer, director, and producer Tim Prokop, which premieres tomorrow on Reelz. Stars: Nicholas Walker, Casey D. Noel, Tim Prokop As a survivor and witness, David Low recalls that the winds were unusually strong, though not surprisingly so, and the air was dry. He was acutely aware of both factors, as a surfer and a professional cellist (humidit...

The first episode of No Tail to Tell begins in the Joseon era. Like all nine-tailed foxes, Eun-ho desires to cultivate virtue by doing good deeds and become human. Her best friend becomes human and plans to marry her beloved. However, on her wedding day, Eun-ho sees her friend's future: she will face much hardship and suffering for the rest of her life. Because of this, Eun-ho begins to see human lives as fragile, full of suffering, and insignificant. She no longer wishes to be human. The scene shifts to the present. She barely blinks as a man is tied up and bleeding to death. Stars: Kim Hye-yoon, Park Solomon, Jang Dong-joo The real story begins 9 years ago. Hyeon Woo-seok is a wealthy and talented high school student who is about to be recruited for the national youth soccer team. However, his classmate, Kang Si-yeol, steals the spotlight. Because the Hyeon family contributes to the school, the coach punishes Si-yeol for ruining Woo-seok's chances. We see that Si-yeol is poor...

Based on the 2010 Pike River mine tragedy, the film Pike River, directed by Robert Sarkies and starring Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm, focuses on the families of the victims, particularly Anna Osborne, wife of contractor Milton Osborne, and Sonya Rockhouse, mother of young miner Benjamin Rockhouse.  While information about the explosion and the rescue operation can be found online, the film focuses on the human relationships, the impact a disaster of this magnitude has on the families, and the incredible courage, strength, and determination shown by Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse, who refused to accept defeat and protested against the government's decision to completely halt rescue operations. Director: Robert Sarkies Writer: Fiona Samuel Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Robyn Malcolm, Erroll Shand Anna and Sonya got off to a rocky start. Anna suspected that Sonya's ex-husband, Neville, the health and safety manager, knew the mine was not in safe working order but still chose to s...

Our charming time-traveling judge is here to stay, and a lot has happened in episodes 5 through 8. The series follows Han-Young, a disgraced judge who gets a chance at redemption after traveling back in time. The fast-paced series is undeniably very technical, a flaw I find in many K-dramas. At the end of episode 4 of The Judge Returns, Han-Young obtained the ledger belonging to the director of Hanguk Hospital, Lee, which contained records of the various sons of the rich and powerful whom he had helped avoid military service by falsifying medical records. Thanks to his foresight, he already has plans for what to do with it and how to position himself to get what he wants. The assassin who killed Han-Young in the future timeline ends up chasing him after he finds the ledger at his parents' recycling plant, and they end up fighting, during which Han-Young is stabbed in the hand. However, he manages to escape with the book, taking it to journalist Na-Yeon so she can photograph it and ...

What would happen if, one day, your partner disappeared without a trace during a romantic vacation? That's the premise of Amazon MGM's latest mystery thriller, Vanished, starring Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) and Sam Claflin (Me Before You). Episode 1 opens with Alice Monroe, an archaeologist, washing blood off her hands in a hotel bathroom. A delivery man knocks on her door, and when she chooses not to answer, the knocking intensifies.  The man is clearly not a delivery man; he's a professional killer. Alice seems aware of the potential threat, and as the knocking gets louder, she climbs out onto the balcony and manages to reach the road. The man chases her; he's about to stab her with a knife when the screen cuts to black. To understand why the supposed delivery man attacked Alice, we have to go back a few weeks. Creators: David Hilton, Preston Thompson Stars: Kaley Cuoco, Lassana Lestin, Sam Claflin Because Alice was an archaeologist and Tom worked for SOS Global...